Chapter 2–Cutie Mark Troubles

*(~)*

Proverbs 11:2~

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

*(~)*

Cutie Mark Troubles

It's been three weeks since Amon's defeat. Korra and Tenzin were working with the Council in restoring peace in Republic City. Thanks to the ponies, many have learned a lot about friendship, but not everybody was on board with it, so Korra and her friends still had some work to do. However, that didn't stop them from enjoying each other's company whenever they had free time. The Ponies visited often and, thanks to their newly required Elements of Harmony, they could communicate with Korra at any time. Kind of like their own personal Pony/Avatar telephone line. In other words, things still got crazy sometimes, but at the same time they could have been a lot worse.

On this particular day, a certain firebender was walking dow the streets of Republic City with a smile on his face. He and his brother were still living at Air Temple Island for a while. They planed on finding their own place soon but for the time being, they were happy there and until Mako found himself the right job, the island was their home. Mako gave the flower bender his money, he had just bought some fire lilies, "Here ya go, son"

Mako smiled and saluted him, "Thanks. Have a nice day."

"You too."

Mako continued walking down the streets waving at anyone who said hello, "Morning, miss."

"Good morning, young man."

"Morning, Mister Yang."

"Hello Mako, and what a fine morning it is."

"Don't I know it."

Words could not describe how happy he was. It was not to long ago when he and Korra confessed their love for one another and had recently started dating. So far, it was endless bliss. The firebender was so happy, he felt like singing.

In fact….

Mako;

Morning in Republic City shimmers

Morning in Republic City shines!

And I know for absolute certain

That everything is certainly fine

Yes, everywhere is a new beginning

The Equalist war is done

The city, today is so gentle and still

Can things ever go wrong?

I don't think that they will

He got onto a ferry which took him to Air Temple Island. He continued his happy song until he reached the docks of Air Temple Island and jumped off of the boat, surprising a few Air Acolytes.

Morning in Republic City shimmers

Morning in Republic city shines!

And I know for absolute certain

That everything is certainly---OW!

Mako was suddenly interrupted when he was suddenly knocked over by something that flew right into his face. He laid on the floor groaning, "Didn't see that coming"

"Girls!"

Mako heard the sound of his girlfriend running towards him. The Avatar spotted her boyfriend on the ground, the lilies he had bought for her were still in his hands.

"Mako? Are you okay?" she asked she helped him up.

"I was." Mako rubbed the back of his neck before handing her the flowers, "These are for you"

Korra smiled at the lovely gift, "Aww, they're beautiful, thank you" she smelled the flowers and kissed his cheek.

"Awwww!"

Mako looked down and saw three fillies smiling at them. One was a unicorn with a white gray coat with grayish mulberry curled mane with pale, light grayish rose streaks and pale, light grayish harlequin colored eyes. She bared a strong resemblance to a certain unicorn.

The second was a young pegasus pony with a light brilliant gamboge coat with matching wings, moderate cerise hame styled upwards into a spiky pixie-cut hairstyle and grayish purple eyes.

The third one was an earth pony with a pale, light grayish olive coat and a mane colored in brilliant amaranth adorned with a light brilliant crimson bow on her head and brilliant gamboge colored eyes.

"So they're the ones who crashed into me?" Mako said while smiling at the adorable little ones. The fillies had crashed into him while ridding on one of the airbender kids' gliders. Korra took the glider away from them and looked at them sternly.

"Girls, why were you flying on Jinora's glider?"

"We just wanted to try it out" said the pegasus.

Korra sighed and introduced her boyfriend to the little ponies, "Mako, you remember Applejack and Rarity's little sisters: Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and Rainbow Dash's honorary sister Scootaloo"

"Yeah, I remember them. And after that crash landing I don't think I'll ever forget" Mako said jokingly while rubbing his sore neck.

"Hay Mako!" Apple Bloom greeted.

"So what are you three doing here?" Mako asked as he squatted down to their level.

"We agreed to have a play date with Korra today" said Sweetie Belle.

"I'm going to show them around the city" Korra said.

"You wanna come?" Scootaloo asked Mako.

"Actually, I--"

"Korra!"

The Avatar spun around to see Tenzin approaching her, "Oh, hey Tenzin. What's up?"

"Don't you remember? We have a meeting with the Council."

"Wait, that's today?!"

"You did forget, didn't you?"

Korra groaned and face palmed herself in frustration, "I did! I'm sorry, I'll be with you in a minute."

Tenzin bowed before walking back to Oogie. Korra sadly turned to the girls, "Girls, I'm so sorry but I'm afraid we're going to have to cancel our plans for today" The ponies groaned in disappointment, "We'll do this another time. I promise. I really should leaner to write stuff down."

While Mako understood Korra had other important stuff to do, he still felt kind of bad for the ponies. "Can't somebody else take them?" he asked.

"Pema's busy taking care of Rohan and Jinora who's sick, plus Ikki and Meelo are still grounded"

"What did they do?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Long story. I'll call your sisters to come and pick you up" said Korra.

Suddenly, Mako came up with an idea. "Why don't I do it?"

"Do what?" Korra asked.

"Take care of them for the day"

Korra was surprised by this, "You can?"

"He can?" the ponies asked just as surprised

"Sure I can!" he said with confidence.

"Mako, are you sure about this?"

"Of course. You go to your meeting, I'll watch them for you." he gestured to the little ponies, "Look at them, do you really want to disappoint these sweet little angels?"

Korra saw the fillies giving her puppy eyes and pouty lips. Nobody could resist those faces. She was pretty surprised that Mako was willing to care for these ponies, but then again it was a very nice gesture on his part and Mako did have experience caring for younger children, having practically raised his brother on the streets. Also, no doubt he wanted to do something nice for his new girlfriend. Korra smiled and sighed in defeat, "Okay, fine"

"YAY!" the fillies cheered.

"But promise me you'll keep a close eye on them and don't let them try anything too dangerous."

Mako placed his hand over his heart, "I promise"

They heard Tenzin calling, "Korra! We're going to be late!"

"Coming!", she lowered down to the crusaders, "Okay girls, be good with Mako okay?", she gave each of them a kiss on the head. Mako leaned in to get a kiss from Korra but she shoved him away, much to his surprise and disappointment, "Bring them back in one piece, then you'll get your kiss", she waved bye before running to Tenzin and both got on the bison before flying away, leaving the ponies and Mako to awkwardly smile at each other.

Mako spoke first, "Sooooooo….what would you girls like to see first?"

"Can we go to the park?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly,

"And then to a noodle shop?" added Sweetie Belle.

"And then the pro-bending arena?" said Scootaloo.

"And Aang's Memorial Island?" said Sweetie Belle.

Mako blinked, these fillies really did plan out this whole trip. He knew he couldn't' disappoint them, "Okay, sure."

The ponies cheered as they ran toward the docks to wait for the ferry. "This shouldn't' be so hard." he said to himself….and was he about to find out just how wrong he was.

(~)

First, Mako took the ponies to a noodle shop for brunch. Mako and the fillies were sitting at a table, laughing as Mako listened to one of the stories of their many adventures,

"So wait, you girls actually made a love potion and used it on your teacher and brother?"

Apple Bloom nodded, "Yep"

Scootaloo added, "We sure did"

"And did it work?" Mako asked, intrigued by their tale.

"Oh, it worked alright" said Apple Bloom.

"A little too well" said Sweetie Belle.

"They were all "cuchi-coo" and calling each other wired nicknames." said Apple Bloom while wearing a disgusted look on her face.

Mako scoffed, "Come on, it couldn't have been that bad"

"How do you feel about "moochy-poo?" asked Scootaloo while arching an eyebrow.

Mako shuddered, "Ew, okay I get the picture. Wow, you girls really do get yourselves into crazy situations, don't you?"

"Yeah but we always come out on top" said Scootaloo.

"Because the Cutie Mark Crusaders never give up" Apple Bloom said proudly.

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement, "Never!"

They high hoof each other, making Mako smile, "I have to admit, you girls have got a lot of spunk."

"Yeah. But no matter how hard we try we still can't get out cutie marks" Sweetie Belle said sadly.

"Just be patient. I'm sure they'll show up when the time is right" Mako assured.

Apple Bloom groaned, "Now you sound just like everypony else"

But the firebender simply smiled, "Truest me, when you least expect it, something good will happen to you. I speak from personal experience."

A waiter comes and hands them the food, four bowls of noodles. The ponies had never tried noodles before. They looked at the bowls curiously.

"How are we suppose to eat em?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Normally people use chopsticks" said Mako as he used the chopsticks to eat his noodles.

Scootaloo looked down at the two sticks, silently asking herself how the heck to humans eat with these. She used her two front hooves in an attempt to try and use the chopsticks, but they fell on the floor. Sweetie Belle had not grown into her magic yet so she couldn't levitate the chopsticks. While Mako was already eating his food he noticed the poor little fillies struggling to eat their food like everybody else in the restaurant."Why don't you girls just eat them without the chopsticks, then?"

"Nobody else around here is eating them that way" Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo lowered her ears, "We don't want to look weird"

Mako chuckled, "You're three ponies eating in a noodle shop filled with humans. Can't get any weirder than that."

But none the less, the ponies looked down at their food sadly. Mako should have known better than to get ponies to eat like humans. So he wouldn't.

"Hey, look."

The girls saw their human companion put down the chopsticks and instead took one noodle with his hand and slurped it into his mouth. The ponies smiled and each took a single noodle into their mouths and slurp them as well.

"Mmmmmm!"

"There ya see?"

"You're right, this is better" said Sweetie Belle.

The friends continued to eat this way for the rest of their meal. Some people looked at them strangely, while others found the scene adorable and sweet. Mako didn't even care that others were staring, he was just glad that the fillies were having fun now.

(~)

Latter, the four of them went to the park. "Wow!" the ponies were taken by the beauty of the place. The grass was lush and green like pure emeralds, the ponds were a clear shade of blue and the most adorable little creatures played in the water. They looked like a cross between a duck and a turtle. Mako said they were called turtle ducks.

"This place is huge!" said Scootaloo.

"Hey look!" Apple Bloom pointed to a group of kids playing with a ball.

"Why don't you girls go and play with them for a while?" said Mako.

"Really?"

"Sure, just don't wander too far okay"

"Okay!"

The fillies all attempt to join the kids before Mako stopped them, "And don't talk to any grown ups!"

"Okay!", they prepared to leave by Mako stopped them again.

"And if any of you have to use the bathroom just let me know."

"Mako!" they shouted, feeling a tad embarrassed.

"Okay, okay go and have fun."

The ponies run to the kids, who happily let the ponies play with them. Mako smiled, this "filly" sitting gig wasn't as hard as he thought it would be.

"Mako is that you?" the young firebender turned around and was surprised to see a familiar face selling ice cream near a small cart.

"Hasook?"

"It's been a while" said his former teammate with a friendly smile."Yeah. What are you doing here?" it was quite odd for Mako to see this guy selling ice cream from a cart. The last time Mako saw him he was nothing but an arrogant no good waterbender and pathetic excuse for a teammate.

"Well, after I quit pro-bending I took over for my grandpa's ice cream business"

"You quit pro-bending…for ice cream?"

"Yeah. Of corse Amon's whole "anti-war" thing made business kind of slow but now that it's over, I've never been happier.", he gave a little girl her ice cream cone, "Here ya go, sweetie"

"Thank you"

"Wow. I'm impressed" said Mako

"So how've you been? I heard you helped the Avatar take down Amon"

"Yep, I did"

"And I also heard that you two are a "thing" now. Is that true?" Hasook said while giving Mako a sly smile.

The Firebender chuckled, "Yeah it's true"

"Congrats! So you gonna buy anything or what?"

"I'll take one pistachio and three vanillas. And add some sprinkles while you're at it"

"I didn't know you had such sweet tooth" he said jokingly as he began scooping the ice cream and placing them on cones.

"The vanillas are for some ponies I'm watching" said Mako

"Oh, yeah I heard that the Avatar was now best friends with those pony creatures that helped rebuild the city."

"Yeah, I promised Korra I'd watch three of them for today."

"Ah, the old "kiddy" routine." Hasook said with a sly smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, I've had a few girlfriends myself Mako, some of then had little siblings."

As he talked and prepared the ice cream, the Crusaders were walking towards Mako but hid behind a tree to listen in on the conversation between the two men.

"So I volunteered to babysit just to impress them. I'm not entirely proud of it now but, hey when it comes to girls we guys will do pretty much anything. Am I right?"

Mako placed his hands into his pocket and sighed while looking downcast with guilt. "Well, actually…I did kind of agreed to this to impress Korra. We've only been going out for a couple of weeks and I wanted to do something special for her."

Unbeknownst to them, The ponies gasped in shock.

"See, I was right." said Hasook, "So are they a handful or what?"

"To be honest, it's not that different than taking care of human kids. At this noodle shop, they couldn't use their chopsticks so I had to eat with my hands just so they would."

The ponies lowered their ears in sadness, Mako sounded like he didn't like having to eat with his hands just for them. It sounded more like he did it because he felt obligated to.

"Wow, that must have been embarrassing for ya." said Hasook.

But by then, the fillies had heard enough. They all sadly turned away and walked in despair. "And here I though we were becoming friends" said a sad Apple Bloom.

"Actually, it wasn't." Mako replied, "I liked making them feel comfortable. I know I did this for selfish reasons at first but, I really do like spending time with them."

"So what are you gonna tell your girlfriend?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"Good luck with that. Here's your order", he hands him a box with the snow cones on top and Mako gives him his money.

"Thanks. Good luck with your business"

"Nice talking to ya"

With ice cream in hand, Mako walked on over to the tree where he and the girls where suppose to meet. "Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, I got guys ice cream.", he looked around but, to his surprise, he didn't see them with the kids anymore. "Girls? Girls?!" He placed the box of ice cream down and continued looking around the park shouting their names, "Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!" He walked towards a young couple and their baby, "Excuse me, have you seen three little ponies? One white, one orange and one with a big red bow?" The couple sadly shook their heads in no.

This was bad. The fillies didn't wander off too far, and yet he couldn't find them anywhere. The firebender continued running and searching the park for the ponies, asking various people if they had seen them, but they all replied no. The firebender had to face the horrible truth.

"Way ta go Mako…you just lost the ponies!"

(~)

Back on Air Temple Island, the phone rang and the earthbender answered the phone

"Hello?"

"Bolin! You have to come down to the park, it's an emergency!" Mako exclaimed, using a pay phone to call his brother.

"Nice to hear you too, bro" Bolin said sarcastically.

"Bolin please, I lost the Cutie Mark Crusaders and---"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you lost the who's!"

"Please get down here! Now!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Keep your scarf on" once Bolin hung up, Mako quickly dialed another number.

The girl picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Asami how's it going?" he tried to sound as casual as possible. But there was no fooling the heiress.

"What did you do?"

"How do you know I did something?"

"You know you're not good at hiding your guilt. You learned that the hard way, remember?"

"Yeah, okay I did something terrible. I know you're busy but please help me!"

"Mako, I want to help you but whatever you did you're going to have to face--"

"I lost the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"Why didn't you just say so?! I'm on my way!" with that, she hung up.

Mako banged his head against the glass wall. "I am a dead man."

Asami and Bolin both said to themselves in unison, "He is a dead man"

(~)

Latter at the park, Mako gathered both Bolin and Asami. "Okay, so where was the last place you saw them?" the heiress asked.

Mako explained the whole thing, "I let them play with some kids and I walked to the ice cream cart to buy them some ice cream. I gave Hasook the money and---"

"Wow, wow, wait, Hasook sells ice cream now?" Bolin asked

"Yeah, anyway I bought the ice cream, came here, I called the girls but they were gone!" out of nowhere Asami slapped Mako across the face. "Okay…OW!"

Bolin rolled his eyes, "Quit complaining, you had that coming for a while"

"Besides, I let you off easy." said Asami, "Imagine what Korra will do to you when she finds out you lost the Cutie Mark Crusaders after you promised you'd watch them."

"Or what Rarity and Applejack will do when they find out you lost their sisters." said Bolin.

Mako began to sweat as he started to imagine what Korra and the ponies would do to him once they found out what he did. Even his left eye started to twitch.

"Mako!"

Asami snapped her fingers to wake him up. The firebender fanatically grabbed her by the shoulders, "We've got to find those ponies before Korra gets back!"

"When is she suppose to be back?" Asami asked.

"Around five thirty."

"It's already one o'clock." said Bolin, making Mako freak out even more.

"GAH! We've only got four hours and thirty minutes to find them. Okay, their legs are short so they couldn't have gotten very far. Let's move people!"

*Cue musical montage*

The group of friends rode in Asami's car searching for the fillies. At every block, they split up to search. They looked in all the nearby fast food places but no such luck. They searched the stores, even asked the managers if they saw the ponies but no luck. They even looked at the pro-bending arena…but the ponies could not be found. After nearly three and a half hours, the three gathered around the tree in the park.

"I can't believe we couldn't find them anywhere" said Mako.

"For three little fillies they're fast" said Asami.

"Yeah, no kidding…..Will you guys stop already!" Mako shouted at the group of musicians who have been playing the montage music this whole time while they were searching for the ponies.

"You didn't have a problem with music this morning." said the leader, "Come on, boys"

Boin placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, "I'm sorry Mako, but there's no way we're gonna be able to find--"

"Sush! Quiet"

Bolin felt insulted by this, "Well, excuse me!"

Asami tried to get through to him, "Mako he's just being--"

"Shush!"

Asami scoffed in annoyance, "Don't you shush me!"

"Just listen!"

The three teens listened closely and they could hear…singing. Not very far away. Mako stood up, "Come on!" Bolin and Asami followed him towards the sound of music and singing until they reached a pile of bushes, from which the sound was even stronger. There, the friends found their old hobo friend Gommu, playing guitar with Sweetie Belle singing and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo dancing beside her.

It was a beautiful sight. The Young fillies were safe and sound and with someone they knew. Mako jumped over the bushes and rushed towards the girls, squatting down and embracing them all in a hug.

"Girls! You're okay!"

"Well look who it is, my old friends. How-de-do?" Gommu greeted.

"Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle! I'm so happy you're alright!", but to Mako's surprise, the ponies huffed and turned away from him, holding their noses up into the air.

"Girls, what's wrong? I've looked everywhere for you. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Worried about what your girlfriend would think when she finds out you used us?" Sweetie Belle said bitterly.

Mako was confused by this, "What are you talking about?"

"We heard what you said you." said Scootaloo angrily, "That the only reason you offered to watch us was so you could impress Korra and nothing else."

"We though you did it because you wanted to be our friend, but you don't care about us at all." Apple Bloom said angrily as well.

"What? That's not true!"

"So you didn't agree to this just to make Korra swoon all over how "sweet" you were with us little fillies?"

Mako hesitantly answered, "Well…no, that part is kind of true."

Asami was shocked, "WHAT?!"

"That is low, bro!" Bolin was very disappointed in his brother, "I can't even look at you!"

"All right, I'll admit, my intentions where kind of selfish"

"Kind of?" Asami asked angrily.

"Okay, a lot! But once I started to hang out with you girls and after we talked and got to know each other better, I realized you're all really amazing. Sweetie Belle, you're kind and loyal and you have the most beautiful voice."

Sweetie Belle blushed at his words.

"Scootaloo, you're so full of spunk and curiosity"

Scootaloo slightly smiled.

"And Apple Bloom, I really admire your independent and ambitious spirit. I'm sorry for being so selfish before. Could you forgive me?"

The ponies all looked at each other before looking back at him with serious glances.

"Can you prove you're sorry?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I just said I was, what more proof do you want?"

The red haired filly huffed before turning away from him, "Just as I thought", Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both turned away from him as well. Mako still couldn't' understand why they were being so stubborn.

"Girls,"

Gommu stood up and took Mako by the arm, "Hey, kid can I talk to you for a moment" He lead Mako a few feet away from the Crusaders and Bolin and Asami. "You know, your little friend does have a point" said Gommu.

"But I already told them I was sorry. I searched like crazy tying to find them. Isn't that enough?"

"You say your words are sincere, but now you need to show that they are"

"Were you not listening?"

"You say you searched for them, but they need to know you were looking because you cared for them, not to impress someone. Words are easy to say, but sometimes, when it comes to friends, the meaning behind the words need to be shown."

He started to play his guitar.

(song is a parody of Make it right sub by Sofia the first and Princess Belle)

Gommu:

I've got a tale to tell, about a boy I know, who fell for one Avatar

A love he couldn't undo

And though you tried to say that yes your heart was true

There was just one way to make the truth shine right through

You saw her plight

Put up a fight

You tried your best

To make it right

To fix your mess, do more than confess

Use all your might

To make it right

Mako beginning to understand what Gommu was trying to tell him. Maybe he wasn't being sincere enough.

Gommu;

If you want to set things strait, you gotta go for broke

By doing something great, your friends will say "okey-doke"

You could delight, your friends tonight

They'd be impressed, you tried to make it right

To fix your mess do more than confess

Use all your might

To make it right

"I'm sorry" is a phrase that's often heard

But actions speak louder than words

You could delight, your friends tonight, they'd be impressed you tried to make it right

To fix your mess,

Mako;

Do more than confess

Gommu;

Just keep your goal plainly in sight and use all your might

Mako;

To make it right

"Yeah, I just have to show the girls how sorry I really am. But how?"

"Just think about what you could do to make them happy."

Mako thought for a moment and then came up with an idea, "I know what to do. Thanks Gommu"

"That's what I'm here for"

Mako walked on back to his friends, "Girls, I understand why you're upset and you have every right to be. But I have a way to show you that I really do cherish your friendship"

"How?" Scootaloo asked.

"Come with me to Air Temple Island." The ponies all shared unsure looks and Mako looked at them pleadingly, "Please"

After a while, they smiled slightly at him, "Okay."

(~)

Boy was today a long day. Council meetings were SOOOOOOOOOOO Boring! Well, at least that was one less thing she had to worry about. Now, she needed to focus on another. Once Oogie landed, Korra quickly jumped and ran to the patio.

"Mako! Girls! You here?"

"Hey Korra"

The Avatar was surprised to see Asami and Bolin sitting neat the plate of stairs that lead to the inside of the temple

"Asami? When did you get here?"

"The guys invited me"

"Where is Mako, and more importantly, where are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?!"

"Why don't you go around back and see for yourself" Bolin pointed with his thumb to behind the temple.

Korra arced an eyebrow but did as Bolin said. She reached to where she normally trained airbending and was surprised by what she saw…

Mako was happily playing leap frog with the Fillies. They were each wearing what appeared to be scarfs with the Cutie Mark Crusaders emblem on them. Korra noticed that the scarfs looked strangely similar to Mako's long capped jacket. Once he stood up, she noticed that his jacket had been torn and cut with multiple large holes. Korra realized exactly what had happened.

"Wow, I honestly did not see this coming"

"Korra!" the three fillies ran up to hug her.

"I see you girls had fun"

"Yeah!" said Sweetie Belle, "Mako took us to brunch at this noodle shop, then we went to the park and met Gommu"

"And then we came here where Mako made us these supper awesome scarfs for out club." said Scootaloo

"And then he took us on a ride on a sky bison" said Apple Bloom.

Korra's eyes grew wide at the mention of this, "He…did?"

"Don't worry, I made sure it was perfectly safe." said her boyfriend.

"And Asami did makeovers in our hair" said Sweetie Belle. Indeed, their hairs did look more elegant and pretty. No doubt it was Asami's work.

"Wow, I'm actually jealous." said Korra, "You all had a better day than me"

"Meeting was pretty boring?" Mako asked.

"You have no idea. They said it was suppose to end at five thirty but they expansed it to six. Jerks. But the good news is that there won't be any more meetings for a while so that gives me enough free time."

The ponies cheered, "YEAH!"

Sweetie Belle hugged Mako's leg, "Thanks for the fun day, Uncle Mako"

Korra couldn't help but laugh, "Unce Mako?"

Apple Bloom nodded, "Yep, he's the Cutie Mark Crusaders honorary den mother. But we prefer to call him uncle"

"That is so cute. Congratulations"

Mako blushed. They then all saw something glowing near the patio. "I think that means your sisters are here" said Korra

"Let's go show em our new scarfs!" said Apple Bloom as they ran to greet their sisters. Korra smiled proudly at Mako, "I gotta admit I am extremely impressed."

But the firebender looked at her with a face of guilt, "Actually Korra, you shouldn't be. I volunteered to watch the girls today…just to impress you. I was doing this for me. The crusaders found out and I lost them for a moment. I looked all over but I couldn't find them. Turns out they were with Gommu in the park the whole time. When I apologized they didn't believe me. Gommu helped me realize that I had to show them how sorry I was and that I really have grown to value their friendship."

"So you made those scarfs from your own jacket and took them on a bison ride to prove that?"

"Yes. And I'll do everything I can to make it up to you too" but, to his surprise….Korra kissed his cheek, "What was that for?"

"For being honest with me. And for caring so much for the ponies"

Mako smiled…then Korra punched his arm

"OW!"

"And that was for loosing them!"

Mako rubbed his sore arm, "Yeah, I deserved that"

Korra smiled at him again, "But then again, I kind of knew all along"

Mako's eyes winded in surprise, "Say what?!"

"I knew you did this to impress me. But I also knew that once you really got to know the ponies you would learn to like them. However, you loosing them was not what I was hoping for! I honestly, expected better."

"I swear I learned my lesson."

Korra smiled proudly at him. "I know you did."

"Korra, Mako" They both turned to see Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash along with the crusaders.

"Hey, thanks for watching' the fillies today, buddy" said Applejack

"Hope they weren't too mush trouble" said Rainbow.

Mako scoffed, "Trouble? No, of corse not"

Applejack turned to her younger sister, "We better get going. By ya'll"

"Bye guys"

The Crusaders waved at their new friend, "By Uncle Mako"

The young couple watched them leave into the portal and disappeared.

"You know Mako, what you said you learned today. That would make a great letter to Princess Celestia"

"You think she'd accept a letter from me?"

"Of corse. You learned a very important lesson about friendship today. I think it deserves to be shared. Don't you think?"

Mako smiled in agreement.

(~)

"Dear Princess Celestia,

This is probably the first time you ever received a letter from a human, but I wanted to share with you what I had learned today. Sometimes it's not enough to just say you're sorry, you need to do everything you can to show just how much you really mean it. After all, actions really do speak louder than words. And if you're going to do something nice for someone, make sure you're doing it for them and not so you can get something out of it. I've also realized that I still have a lot to learn about friendship. Good thing I've got the best teachers to help me with that, one who just so happens to be my girlfriend."

Thanks for listening

--Sincerely, Mako."

Chapter 3–Castle Mania

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"Hello, my little friends. I am Discord, everyone's favorite spirit of chaos. Well, I use to be. Now, I am 100% reformed. Last time, I was given a very important task by someone I…shouldn't mention by name or else she will…hang on."

(takes out a piece of paper and reads it with reading glasses)

"Hunt me down like the little weasel I am, and once I'm caught she will rip out my eyes and shove them down my throat sow I can see her tear my carcass wide open. Oh, wait! Sorry, that was the script for another story. Here it is!--She will tell everyone my actual name. AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

(Throws paper away)

"Okay, um, I believe I've delayed long enough. So, many of you might know of the story about how Avatar Korra and the Mane Six came together, and…wait, you don't know? You haven't read the story? Well, go on ahead. I'll wait.

…………………

Wow, back so soon? You guys are fast readers. Okay, now that you are up to speed, here we will be talking about the adventures Korra and the Ponies had after Amon was defeated.

Back when the girls had yet to uncover the mystery behind the Rainbow Chest, the team headed out to the old castle of the two pony sisters Celestia and Luna. However, while there, they uncovered a bit more than what they were looking for."

(~)

Castle Mania

Princess Twilight Sparkle groaned loudly as she slammed the book shut and tossed it to the wall, nearly missing Spike's head. The little dragon was dusting while wearing his pink apron and looked at his friend with concern.

"What's wrong, Twilight?"

"Ugh, I've gone through every book in Ponyville, Spike, and there isn't a single mention of the mysterious chest that came from the Tree of Harmony, nor anything about keys to unlock it!"

Twilight outstretched her hooves, showing the tall piles of books around her room, showcasing she had been searching non-stop. She had gone through the same thing before when trying to uncover the mysterious book which eventually led them to travel to Republic City and meet Avatar Korra.

"But something tells me that opening is pretty important."

"Hello!" a voice was heard downstairs, "Anypony home?"

Twilight's face gleamed with happiness, "We're up here, Korra!"

"Ow!" The female Avatar had hit her head against the ceiling. While the house still allowed her to enter, she still needed to squat a bit due to her much taller size. Thankfully, Twilight's home was much bigger.

"Hey, Twilly. Whoa, what happened in here?" she asked, looking at all of the books.

"She's still trying to figure out what that mysterious box is," Spike answered.

"Again? You've been at it for weeks now. You missed out, last weekend Mako babysat the Cutie Mark Crusaders and, well let's just say things got crazy."

"I'm sorry I've been out of sorts for a while," said Twilight, "But I can't stop thinking about what that box holds. And don't tell me you're not curious," she said as she hovered next to another pile of books, flapping her alicorn wings.

"Well, I am. Maybe Princess Celestia has some ideas." Korra suggested.

"But if the library in Canterlot doesn't have anything, I-I don't know where else to look!"

The pile of books began to shake and tumble, landing on Spike, who yelped from the impact. Korra removed the books from his head, and the dragon then belched, allowing a letter to appear from his dragon's fire. Twilight levitated the letter and started reading. It was from Celestia.

"My dearest Twilight, while it would be perfectly lovely to have you in Canterlot once more, I have another option in mind much closer to Ponyville."

Korra read the rest, "As you know, the ancient castle that I once shared with Princess Luna lies mostly in ruins, deep in the Everfree Forest. But if you look carefully, you may find a book that could prove helpful to your research, hidden somewhere in what's left of the castle library."

Korra gasped, her eyes twinkling with glee. "Old castles, dark scary forests, and mysterious chests?… What more could a girl ask for?"

Twilight simply rolled her eyes while smirking, "So, I'm guessing this means you'll---" in a gust of wind, Korra was already waiting downstairs. "--want to come?"

"Let's go, pick up the paste guys!"

(~)

The three friends made their way through the Everfree Forest. This was the first time Korra was seeing it first hand. It looked just as depicted by the town ponies; scary, unusual plants, but overall, it didn't seem that scary to her.

"So this is the so-called scary Everfree Forest? Doesn't seem so bad."

"Well, some ponies do tend to exaggerate at times." Twilight said, and another topic came to her mind, "So, how are things with the new boyfriend?"

Korra suddenly flinched when the pony mentioned the 'B' word, "Oh, um, things are going great. Just…great."

"You don't sound like it's going great."

"It is. It's a lot better than I thought it would be," she said the last part with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. But before the conversation could go on, Korra's eyes widened when she spotted a bridge covered in fog. The fog dispersed and on the other side stood an old castle, its roofs collapsing and trees and vines grew all around.

"Wow…is this it?"

Twilight nodded, "Yep. The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."

The place was bigger than Korra had expected as she and her friends walked deeper inside. She could only imagine how beautiful the place must have been before Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. She always did wonder who she was exactly. Was she Luna fueled by jealousy, or a separate entity altogether? Maybe one day she would find out the answer.

They came across the old throne room, which had two beautiful tapestries, depicting Luna and Celestia individually. The art style was not a hundred percent accurate to the Princesses' real designs, but still, it was a stunning sight. Korra's eyes were so fixated on the images of the alicorns that it took Twilight's voice calling out her name to snap her back to reality.

Finally, they reached their true destination; The Library.

The minute they walked on, Twilight's eyes widened in wonder and she gasped. The place was practically destroyed, even the roof was no more, allowing the sunlight to shine through, and desks were skittered across the floor. However, the books remained in tack. And there were a lot of them. Korra giggled when Twilight began flying around the place, gushing over the number of books on the shelves.

"Wow! Look at all these ancient books! It's a veritable goldmine of information! I can't believe it! Woo-hoo!"

Spike, on the other hand, never was a big fan of large, dark, scary, abandoned castles. He looked around, only to trip on some books, his body becoming covered in spider webs, and screamed when he saw the head of a large alicorn statue.

"AH! Uh, heh-heh. So, uh, Twilight. Uh, ready to head home?"

"Are you kidding? This place is perfect!" the alicorn princess dove into the pile of books, all too eager to read them all.

Korra may not be much of a bookworm like Twilight, but she was always curious about Equestrian history. As she looked at one of the shelves she spotted a book entitled "History of the Alicorn". Her eyes gleamed with excitement. This was her chance to learn more about the alicorns and their magic. However, when she opened the book, she was surprised to find that the pages were all blank. She flipped through them all, inspecting the covers of the book but there was nothing. Even the name of the pony who wrote it was absent.

"That's weird."

Korra was now more curious to find as to why the book was blank, and if there were any others with knowledge of alicorns and their magic. As the two girls looked around for books, Spike hid behind a rock, his teeth chattering as spiders scurried across the floor.

(~)

Rose-colored eyes stared into emerald green orbs. The two ponies were stone-focused, waiting for the other to flinch.

"I'm not gonna move. You move."

"Uh-uh. There is no way I'm movin'."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack were engaged in fierce competition with one another at Sweet Apple Acres. The two were completely covered in a swarm of bees, safe their eyes. Once again, the two were competing over who was the most daring pony. Pinkie was the judge, she sat beside a pink table, along with her pet alligator Gummy.

"This is the most daring dare anypony ever dared dare another pony to dare!"

Rainbow Dash and Applejack asked, "Huh?"

"It's exciting!"

A male pony wearing a bees keeper outfit walked up to the ponies, "Uh, whatcha doing?"

"Rainbow Dash and Applejack are competing for the title of "Most Daring Pony"! This is the final test: the Bee Stare! Last pony to blink wins!"

But the pony was not amused, "… I'm gonna need my bees back."

"But then we'll never find out who the Most Daring Pony is!" Rainbow said.

"Eh, sorry about that." he whistled and the bees all left Rainbow and Applejack's bodies, revealing that they were wearing bees keepers outfits too this whole time.

"Well, what do we do now?" Applejack asked, removing her hat.

"Don't worry, ladies," said Pinkie Pie, "I've been keeping excellent score all day!" she looked over at her notebook, "Hmm, move the decimal, carry the 2, and... Congratulations! You're tied!"

Applejack; "Tied?"

Rainbow Dash; "You can't be tied for the Most Daring Pony!"

"I dunno! Numbers don't lie!" using her mouth, Pinkie showed them the notebook with the 'scores'. Which were just doodles, much to Rainbow and Applejack's dismay.

"I'd love to stay and keep keeping score, but I promised to help test the new school bell. I get to ring it all week, nonstop!" Pinkie wiggled her tail, which Gummy was bitting on, "And I don't even have to take turns, because no one else volunteered!"

Rainbow Dash removed her bees keeper outfit, "Okay, no problem. We just have to come up with another daring dare. You sure we can't have another bending battle?"

"Not since what happened the last time." Applejack stated, remembering the last battle they had, which resulted in Applejack, Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith cleaning up the damage in the farm. Rainbow Dash helped clean up the mess as well, the events being partly her fault as well.

Rainbow blushed in embarrassment, "Eh, he, yeah."

The two ponies then received a surprise visit. "Hey, girls."

"Mako!"

The young firebender approached the two, waving and smiling at them. Much like Korra, his appearance also changed. He was still taller than Korra and most of his friends, he still wore his signature scarf around his neck.

"What brings ya here?" A.J. asked.

"I heard Korra was in Ponyville," he said, "Have you seen her?"

Rainbow shook her head, "Sorry Mako, haven't seen her."

"Gonna ask her out for another date?" Applejack asked with a smirk, and the firebender blushed while scratching the back of his head.

"Well, it's, um…it's more…private."

The two ponies looked at each other in surprise before turning back to him. "You're not gonna pop the question, are ya?" Applejack asked, making the firebender's face redder than his scarf.

"What?! No! No, nothing like that!"

"Good, 'cause it's still too early for that."

Mako rolled his eyes, "Anyway, if you see her can you let her know I'm looking for her?"

"Sure thing, partner."

"Thanks." just as he was about to leave, Rainbow Dash stopped him by hovering over his head.

"Wait! Maybe you can help us out with something. A.J and I are trying to see who's the most daring pony, but so far we're in a tie. Mind being our referee?"

Mako didn't have the time for this, especially with what he wanted to talk about to Korra. But, maybe if he spends more time with the two ponies he might run into her at some point.

"Well…"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeese!"

Mako was now faced to face with his worse enemy….the big shimmery eyes with pouty lips. No cold heartless person could resist the innocence that was the Pony stare.

"Alright! You win."

"Yes!"

"I think I might have an idea of what we can do to prove who's the most daring pony." said Applejack, "Question is, you up for it Mako?"

The fire bender scoffed, "I've spent my entire childhood in the unforgiving streets of Republic City. I think I can handle whatever you ponies throw at me."

(~)

Meanwhile, two more ponies were also on their way towards the old castle. Rarity and Fluttershy, along with Angel Bunny, were making their way across the Everfree Forest. As always, the shy little Fluttershy was trembling. However, the bold and fabulous Rarity was trotting her way with her head held high, added with a jewel-encrusted water skin around her body, containing water for her to use in case anything arises. She was a waterbender pony after all. But they were not the only ones there. Bolin had volunteered to come along with them. He had come into the portal with Mako but went off to see Fluttershy so Pabu and Angel could have a play date. However, Rarity came by and asked the two to assist her. Like good friends, they happily volunteered.

It was the first time Bolin had entered the infamous Everfree Forest. It certainly was spookier than he anticipated. "Um, Rarity? Don't you think it's a little late in the day to be walking through the forest?" he asked, "This, very, very, creepy…forest." he yelped when he heard the sound of something creeping up on his leg, only to find it was a simple spider with a star on its back.

Fluttershy tried to calm his down, "Don't be scared, Bolin. It's just a star-spider. This is the time of the year where they find their mate and make families."

Bolin shivered, "I never liked bugs."

"Are you sure we should have brought Bolin with us?" she asked the unicorn, "He's still very new to our world, after all. Though, I'm sure you have a very good reason."

"Simply the most important reason I've ever had in my entire life!" said Rarity

"Oh, well then I'm happy to help. What is it?"

The two friends, earthbender, ferret, and rabbit finally made it to the destroyed castle, "I've heard rumors that the Castle of the Two Sisters is filled with the most gorgeous of ancient tapestries in all of pony history! It pains me to think of those magnificent creations rotting away in those old ruins, totally unappreciated."

"I see…" Fluttershy responded dryly with sarcasm.

"Yeah, okay. Makes sense," said Bolin.

"I require your help in borrowing one or two to bring back to the boutique where I can restore them." Rarity said with visible enthusiasm as they reached the old wooden bridge that led to the castle, "Maybe I'll even use the patterns as the inspiration for a new line!"

"That does sound... very important."

Rarity, catching aware of this, cleared her throat, "Yes, well, maybe not the most important thing in my entire life, but retro-ancient classical will be all the rage next season, so it's nothing to sneeze at." right on cue, Rarity sneezed when Pabu and Angel passed by her, their ears and tail tickling her nose. "Ah-cho!"

Fluttershy made it past, no problem, but Bolin was still struggling. The bridge seemed to wobble due to his weight, but the bridge was still sturdy enough to keep him from falling. If only he believed that. Rarity used her horn to levitate Bolin to the other side, the unicorn looking completely unfazed as the young man tried to calm himself.

"Thank you," he said and the friends headed forward to the ruined castle. The two ponies remembered this place very well, having received the Elements of Harmony for the first time and defeated Nightmare Moon.

"Um, are you sure you need those tapestries, Rarity?" Bolin nervously as he gazed up at the frightening-looking place. A thought Fluttershy could agree with.

"But, of course." said Rarity, "Although, I must admit these ruins are a fright….Just look at all the dirt everywhere! Ugh…" she shook the said dirt off of her hooves. Her horn glowed and bended the water from the skin to wipe her hooves.

Bolin and Fluttershy gasped when their furry pets quickly ran towards the steps of the palace.

"Angel!"

"Pabu!"

The two friends rushed to the two wooden doors while Rarity trotted behind them. But unbeknownst to them, a mysterious cloaked figure followed them.

Once inside, Bolin's eyes bulged open and his jaw dropped at the sight. The palace was even larger inside, with tall stone walls and hallways that led to who knows where, as well as tall crystal windows, already broken due to an epic battle that took place years ago. Seeing his expression, Fluttershy flew up to Bolin's level and closed his mouth, snapping him out of it.

"Wow. This is place is--"

"I know!" Rarity concluded, "It's practically an artistic treasure trove of ancient good taste!"

Fluttershy's ear twitched when she heard thumping, and saw Angel, along with Pabu, thumping his foot to get her attention.

"Angel! Oh, you really shouldn't have run off like that. Ancient ruins are filled with all sorts of things that can hurt you! You could stub your toe, or, or trip on a loose stone... You have to be careful!"

"Uh, Fluttershy."

The pegasus realized that Rarity, Pabu, and Angel had already made their way into one of the hallways, while Bolin listened to Fluttershy's nervous rambling.

"Oh."

The two friends followed the others into the hallway. "I wonder what other stuff we'll find in here." said Bolin, "Maybe some jewels and rubies, or a scepter!"

Once they were gone, Twilight, Korra, and Spike walked across the balcony from above. Korra held a candle to light the way, having lit it with her fire bending.

"I don't think I'll need all these candles, guys." said Spike, "I was only scared for a second."

"Oh, these aren't for you, Spike," said Korra.

"We're gonna be studying late into the night, and we're gonna need all the light we can get," said Twilight

"Oh, great." Spike sighed in dismay.

"Think you can handle that, Korra?" Twilight asked her friend with a knowing grin. The Avatar scoffed.

"Ha, ha, I see where you're getting at. I may not be the most studious person, or the most organized, or the most patient, but there hasn't been a challenge I can't handle. Besides, learning about Equestrian history? Filled with magic battles, ancient mysteries, and unknown creatures? What could be more epic than that?"

Once the three were gone, another group entered the castle: Mako, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.

"Well, here we are!" the country pony gestured to the grand throne room.

Mako had heard a bit about this old castle, but he never knew he would see it first hand. "Why are we in the Castle of the two sisters?" he asked, looking around the place before flicking a spider from his shoulder.

"Yeah, what's so daring about this place?" Rainbow asked, "This is where we got the Elements of Harmony."

Applejack galloped up onto the plight of stairs and stood before them, speaking in a dramatic tone. "When I was just a filly, Granny Smith told me of an ancient legend. When Nightmare Moon was banished, not every last bit of her dark magic went with her. Granny used to say, when night falls on the castle, that magic takes the form of... the Pony of Shadows!"

Mako simply rolled his eyes, he never was a fan of ghost stories. Unlike his brother, who would have no doubt peed himself if he heard this one.

"That's quite a ghost story, A.J" Mako said with an amused smile, "Though trying to scare the competition doesn't seem like a fair tactic."

"He's right." said Rainbow Dash…then, she realized what she just said, "Did I just agree with you twice on the same day?"

Mako pounded his fists together in victory, "Yeah, new record for me!"

"Ugh." Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Play all ya want," said Applejack, "But nobody knows if the stories are true…or not."

Both Rainbow and Mako shared the same 'are you kidding me' stares. There was no way they were going to buy into this Pony of Shadows nonsense.

(~)

At the end of the hallway, Rarity gasped excitedly. She was standing in front of an old and torn tapestry depicting Princess Luna. The clear blue tones and sparkly illuminated outlines reminded her of the water she bended.

"This one is perfect!"

Bolin rubbed his chin, inspecting the tapestry, "Well, it certainly could use some restoration." he said, "Then again, I'm no fashion expert."

Rarity's horn glowed and she began bending the water from her pelt, trying to use it as a tentacle-like object to try and lift the tapestry from the hook. However, try as she may, she simply could not due to it being heavy, not even her water could lift it. She tried to lift it from below, but also nothing. She still needed bait more practice. She grunted before placing the water back, her horn no longer glowing.

"Fluttershy, be a dear and fly up there and lift it off that hook?" The young pegasus flew up to try and lift it, but to no avail. "Maybe from below?" Rarity called out, earning a sarcastic glare from Fluttershy.

She flew onto behind the tapestry when suddenly, the wall started to move and flip over, causing both the tapestry and Fluttershy to disappear.

"AH! Where's Fluttershy?!" Bolin began to frantically bang on the wall, screaming out her name, "Fluttershy! Fluttershy! No, no, she's gone! She was too young! Why couldn't it have been me?!"

Rarity stood there, her, Angel, and Pabu looking on at Bolin with unamused stares as he brawled like a child.

"Bolin."

"Why?! Why-hy-hy-hy-hy!"

(~)

"I don't see what's so daring about an old legend," said Rainbow Dash. She, Applejack, and Mako had made their way into another hallway, "Plus, I don't believe in ghosts."

"Nor should you." said Mako, "It's all just fabricated tales to scare little kids."

"Thank you, walking encyclopedia."

But while the two were talking, Applejack noticed a blue tapestry on the wall beginning to move. "You might wanna rethink your position on that," she said while shaking.

Mako and Rainbow looked up and saw the fabric moving, afterwords a scream was heard from it as well. All three friends were equally shocked to see this.

"Mako, your cue," Rainbow said, her ears lowered in fear.

"I'm sure there's a good explanation for--" suddenly, thunder was heard, followed by lightning, and a shadowy emerged from behind them. Even Mako didn't have an explanation for this. The three friends' only reaction was to scream. Lightning flashed once more, causing the image to disappear.

"You saw that, right?" said Applejack to the fire bender.

"I saw it. But I don't believe it."

"I have an idea." said Rainbow, "Run!"

(~)

"Why?!"

Rarity rolled her eyes and called out his name, "Bolin!"

"What?"

"You do know you're an earthbender, right?"

"…Oh, yeah!" he stepped back, ready to get Fluttershy back, only to have the wall suddenly revolve again, making both Fluttershy and the tapestry reappear. Bolin blinked.

"Wow. I'm better than I thought."

Fluttershy landed on the ground, grunting, "Ow... I think I hurt my wing." Angel and Pabu rushed over to help her, while Bolin hugged her tightly.

"Fluttershy! You're back!"

"Where did I go?" she asked.

"While you were struggling under that fabric, the entire wall spun around!" said Rarity, "You must have activated a secret door."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Bolin finally released her, "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I think so. I'm sure my wing will be better in a bit."

Rarity looked up at the wall, "That tapestry is far too heavy. We'll just have to find a smaller one." she once again took the lead while the others followed. "I suppose these ruins are chock full of secret passages."

"Really?" Fluttershy shivered.

"Absolutely. We must use the utmost care as we—" the two ponies and humans screamed when the floor underneath them suddenly opened, revealing another secret door, and they screamed as they fell.

Angel had accidentally stepped on something on the floor and received a slap on the head by Pabu, as well as scorn.

(~)

Mako, Rainbow, and Applejack continued to run down the halls, until Mako came to an abrupt stop, ending in an area filled with portraits on the wall.

"Wait a minute! What are you running from?" the two ponies screeched to a halt, facing him. "If we just take a moment to analyze this, I'm sure we can find a logical explanation for what we just saw."

Rainbow spoke up, "Uh, I'd hate to burst your bubble Mako, but you're standing in an ancient castle talking to colorful magical ponies in a world filled with magic! I highly doubt your world's logic is gonna work here."

But Mako was determined to remain firm, "Either way, there is no such thing as ghosts."

"And what if the legend is true?"

Applejack smiled smugly, "Then I guess only the most daring pony of all could stay in this castle all night without being scared."

Rainbow's eyes widened, "Wait? That's why you brought me here? To scare me? Well, news for you; I'm not scared."

"Well, me neither!"

"Then it's settled! Whoever stays in the castle the longest is the Most Daring Pony."

"Deal."

Mako stepped in between the two, "Hold it, hold it. Why don't we just agree that you're both daring ponies and call it a day?"

"What's the matter, tough guy? You're not scared are ya?" Rainbow taunted. However, Mako did tense up a bit.

"What? No, of course not. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just a dusty old castle with dusty old portraits. Me, scared?"

The two ponies then smiled mischievously, "Care to put your money where your mouth is, partner?" said Applejack, "How's about, if you can stay the longest without gettin' scared, then we'll put this whole thing to rest. Deal?"

Mako was hesitant. Should he agree to this juvenile bet or not?"

"Hey, buddy. My hoof's gettin' tired, we got a deal or not."

Mako still didn't want to believe there was a ghost roaming the halls but….maybe, this could be a good way to prove a point to the too. Besides, if he said no the two would never let him hear the end of it. He squatted down and shook A.J's hoof.

"Deal. But it's gonna take a lot more than some shadowy ghost story to get me," he said rather proudly as he walked away, with the girls in tow, holding their noses high.

"Me too! Humph!"

Once they left, one of the portraits' eyes was watching them. Perhaps there was more to this Pony of Shadows than they thought.

(~)

Back in the library, Korra, Twilight, and Spike sat on a table, with the candle as their source of light, while reading various books. Korra, amazingly, had gone through five books in the past two and a half hours. She had already read books about changelings and how they came to be. About these creatures called sirens and a little biography of Starwirl the bearded. She was especially intrigued by his studies on magic and what he discovered. The young Avatar never knew studying could be so insightful. Then again, it probably had to do with the topic itself. Learning about magic truly did capture Korra's attention and respect. She didn't even know who long it had been, she was too occupied with her studies. Tenzin would be proud…if the only magic study was involved in Avatar training, which sadly, it is not.

"Find anything?" Twilight asked, temporarily taking her nose from the book she was reading.

Korra closed her book, having finally read the whole thing, "No. How about you, Spike?"

"Uh, nope. Nothing yet."

Korra took another book from the pile and began reading it immediately. "Wow, that's the sixth book you've read," said Twilight.

"I know. This magic stuff is incredible. You're so lucky, Twilight."

"Come on Korra, you're the one who's got all of the amazing powers. You're the Avatar; sole protector of your world."

Korra placed the book on the table and sighed, resting her face on her chin. "Yeah."

Twilight could immediately tell something was bothering her. "What's wrong?"

Korra sighed before responding, "It's just…I don't know."

"What?"

"Remember when I first stepped foot in Ponyville? Well, when I did I felt…I felt like I…It's hard to explain." Twilight placed the book she was reading down, giving the Avatar her undivided attention. Korra continued, "When I came into your world I felt an incredible sensation creep up from within me. Like simply being here brought me such joy and happiness. I felt…like I knew I was welcome here. That I belong here, in a way." she chuckled and turned away briefly, "I know. Crazy right?"

"Not at all." Twilight said with a compassionate smile, "I felt the same way when you and I first met. When I and the girls first came into your world, we were scared. We didn't think we belonged in your world. But once we met you, we felt like we did. I guess, I didn't realize it until now that…you reminded us of home."

Korra looked at her in surprise, "I did?"

"Yeah. Crazy right?"

Korra smiled and shook her head softly, "Nah. I can relate." the two girls giggled, their laughter echoing the halls. "I haven't told anyone else about this. If Tenzin found out that I've been sneaking off to Equestria instead of airbending training, he'd throw a hissy fit. I just really want to explore more of this place, learn more about it."

"I completely understand. It's the same way I wanted to learn more about your world."

Korra now felt even more relieved once she told her friend what had been on her mind. Until another topic came to find, and Twilight once again noticed her uneasiness.

"Something else on your mind?" Twilight asked, "Something to do with Mako, maybe?"

Korra sighed and leaned back against the wall, "Yeah."

"I thought things were going great with you guys."

"That's just it. It's because things are going so great that's got me worried."

Spike closed his book, looking on with a bored expression, "Okay, this is girl talk, so I'll just take my book and read over there." he stood away from the table and walked off to sit in a corner.

"What do you mean you're worried?" Twilight asked.

"Okay, you know Mako and I like each other a lot, right?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes, "Sweetie, everybody knows. You made the front page on the newspaper."

"Well, don't get the wrong idea, I'm glad we're more open towards one another regarding our feelings but…" she placed her elbows on the table, "…when we're together it's always, always so…romantic."

"Ooooookay, I'm having a hard time seeing the problem here."

"I'm not saying I don't like the romance stuff, I do. I do like going out to dinner and him wrapping his arms around me and when he kisses me goodnight." she blushed as she said these things, "But, I don't want to lose that friendship we had before because…it was what made me fall for him in the first place. I just really care about him, even if he does drive me crazy at times, but I've always liked a challenge."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"I've been trying to but whenever I get the chance I just can't find the words to say. And it doesn't help when he surprises me with flowers or noodles he bought at Narook's and I look into his sweet, golden eyes that I just--"

"You wimp out."

Korra hung her head in shame, "Yes."

Twilight's ears lowered in sympathy, "Korra, I know you and Mako care about each other, and you may not be the most normal couple on the planet, but I can tell you both have something special. Just speak from your heart. I'm sure you'll figure it out together."

Korra looked back at her friend, "Thanks."

"No problem." Twilight said, "In fact, I find this perception of romance…interesting."

Korra noticed the young alicorn blush, "You know Twilight, this may sound a bit 'out there but, I have a strong feeling you might find somepony for yourself one day. That is if you want. Do you have anypony in mind?"

Twilight's mind drifted off to somebody she once met both in another plane of existence and at the Crystal Empire, "Yeah. I think I do. Though, I hardly know him that well yet…but, maybe one day, if fate will allow, I will. One day."

While Spike was reading on a chair in the corner of the hallway, he spotted a book suddenly move in front of him. The little dragon screamed in terror, causing the chair to nearly fall over, only to suddenly stop due to a metallic cord underneath one of the legs. The book was shaken off to reveal both a white rabbit and fire ferret.

Korra blinked, "Angel? Pabu?"

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.

Suddenly, the walls began to shake and two of the bookshelves dispersed to reveal a dark alley. The event caused the flames of the candles to be blown away. Korra, Twilight, Spike, and their furry friends peaked inside, gasping in awe.

It appeared to be some kind of chamber with more bookshelves, but also with pillows on the floor, a sofa, and two glass windows depicting night and say, respectively.

"Whoa!"

In the center of the room was a pedestal, and a brown book with gold platting rested on top of it. Korra was the first to walk on over to it, dusting the cover and read the words out loud: "The Journal of the Two Sisters." she gasped with excitement, "Maybe this is the book Princess Celestia was talking about!"

Without a second to waste, both she and Twilight rested on the pillows on the floor and opened the book, while Angel and Pabu took their place with the girls. However, a certain young dragon was still uncertain about this strange place.

(~)

Rainbow Dash, Mako, and Applejack eventually made it to a spiral staircase that led to who knows where. "I sure hope you're not afraid of the dark, Applejack!" Rainbow taunted as she hovered over the firebender and earthbender pony. Both Rainbow and Mako had flames on their hand and hoof for light.

"I can't say that I am!" said Applejack as she and Mako made their way down, "But even if I was, I'd be at least fifty percent less scared of it than you, Rainbow Dash."

"I dunno how all that math works because I'm not scared at all!"

"Me neither!"

The pegasus rolled her eyes, smiling smugly, "How about you, Mr. Hat Trick? Feeling the goosebumps yet?"

Mako rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Nice try, Rainbow, but no. Besides, if you ladies do get scared you've got a brave firebender to keep you safe. "

"Great, so when does he get here?" Rainbow said before laughing.

Mako narrowed his eyes, "Oh, ha, ha, ha." he laughed sarcastically, "You're so clever."

"Race you guys down there!" Rainbow Dash swooshed down and Applejack galloped ahead while Mako ran close behind. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they once again found themselves in yet another dark alley. All of their cockiness faded, being replaced by both concern, and for some of them…fear.

"What's the matter?" Rainbow asked her unresponsive friends, "It's just a dark hallway full of... disembodied pony legs."

The walls were adorned with plates that held the legs of ponies, which held on to spears and other various weapons. How they did that, Mako did not question.

Applejack lowered her hat as the three walked on through, "Yeah. Nothin'... creepy about that."

Mako himself found the scene very unsettling. While he was still skeptical about the shadow pony, that still didn't mean the scenery didn't cause shivers down his spine.

"Uh, maybe you girls should stay close to me. Just in case we get lost," he said, though there was a tint of uncertainty in his voice. The two ponies wasted no time in remaining at his side the whole time they walked. Mako still maintained his flame while Rainbow Dash peeked through the feathers of her wings.

(~)

Rarity opened her eyes, finding her, Fluttershy and Bolin trapped in a dark room, "I'm starting to wonder if maybe this castle doesn't want my expertise!" she made her horn glow, creating a bright light, illuminating the room, which appeared to be some kind of dungeon chamber. Fluttershy and Bolin quickly realized they were missing two of their companions.

"Oh, dear. Angel?"

"Pabu? Little buddy? Rarity, have you seen him?"

"I'm not sure they made the trip down with us, dear." said the unicorn.

Fluttershy was already getting worried, "Oh, goodness! We have to find him. An ancient castle is no place for a bunny and a fire ferret. They could get hit by falling debris, or the floor could give out under them!" as she said this, Bolin hugged his legs, trembling at the thought, "Oh! They could be trapped in a dark place with no way out!"

"I can only imagine how that might feel." Rarity said flatly.

Now Bolin was getting anxious, "Oh man, what if we never see them again? What am I gonna do without Pabu? Who's gonna eat dumplings with me? Who's gonna be our pro-bending mascot? Who's gonna help me put whip cream on Mako while he's sleeping?!"

While he was ranting, Rarity found a hall in the wall, looking at it skeptically. "Hmm…"

(~)

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Mako continued their way down the hallway. Then, Mako suddenly felt something grab his leg, "Applejack, if you're scared, you can just admit it. You don't need to put your hoof around my leg."

"Uh, I'm over here."

He turned his head to see that the two ponies were only two feet behind him. He looked down and saw something white around his leg. His first instinct was to scream.

"AH!"

"AHH!" The two ponies screamed as well before making a mad dash for it, along with Mako.

(~)

Rarity gasped and removed her hoof from the hole. "Rarity! What is it?" Fluttershy asked with concern.

"I felt something... alive!"

Fluttershy gasped with a smile, "Angel!"

"Or Pabu!" Bolin added, equally happy.

Fluttershy stuck her hoof out into the hole but felt nothing. Then, she did feel something. Unknowingly, she had touched one of the disembodies pony legs on the wall, causing the wall to spin rapidly, allowing the three friends to re-appear on the other side of the wall, into the hallways where Mako, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were previously. Fluttershy noticed she still had her hoof on the hole and took it out. Bolin shook his head, feeling woozy from the experience.

"Wow! That was kinda cool."

But Rarity did not agree, "Well, tapestries or no, I have had just about enough of secret passages, mysterious presences, and unappreciative castles!" her irritated voice echoed through the halls before she took the lead, allowing the other two to keep up. Bolin stood in front of Rarity, stopping her tracks.

"But we can't leave now, not with Angel and Pabu lost somewhere in this dangerous old castle!" he stated, and Fluttershy appeared right beside him.

"He's right. They could be trapped under a crumbling statue, or stuck high in a tower without food or water or any friends at all!"

As Rarity walked on ahead, Fluttershy and Bolin began to tear up due to the loss of their furry companions.

(~)

As for Angel and Pabu, they could not have been better. Twilight gave the little bunny carrots while Pabu ate some delicious berries. Korra and Twilight shared the journal of the two royal sisters as they red.

"Spike, you've got to hear this." said Twilight and started to read aloud, "I love to duck behind the paintings, and though the Hall of Hooves still gives her a bit of a fright, the trap door slide is Luna's favorite."

"Wow! Who knew Luna was such a daredevil." Korra said impressed.

"Hall of Hooves"? Spike asked, not hiding the fear in his voice. Twilight turned the page and allowed Korra to read the following, looking at blueprints depicting an organ and the trap doors all around the palace.

"Soon the Organ to the Outside will be finished. I can hardly wait."

"What's the Organ to the Outside?" Spike asked.

"I have no idea!" Korra responded happily.

(~)

Underneath, in the darkest room in the castle, a cloaked figure played on a large organ. The sound echoed throughout the place, causing Applejack to slide to a halt.

"You hear that?"

"You mean, the creepy sound of a haunted pipe organ?" Rainbow asked.

"Uh… maybe?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Rainbow said worriedly….when the organ sounded once more, even startling Mako. The two ponies held onto the firebender for a few seconds before the three ran down the halls once more.

(~)

"Uh, Twilight? Korra? Did you hear something?"

The two girls were too wrapped up in the book to acknowledge what Spike had said. "Oh, Spike. Quit being such a scardy dragon." said Twilight. "This castle is thousands of years old, and half of it was destroyed by Nightmare Moon. Of course, it makes strange sounds. It's practically falling apart!"

After she said this, a piece of the roof fell down, starling Spike as he clenched on to a pillow. Angel and Pabu giggled at his anxiety.

"Oh... kay."

"Spike, will you relax?." said Korra, "Nothing's going to happen."

(~)

"Angel! Angel!"

"Pabu! Pab-pabs, where are you?"

"I'm sure we'll find them." said Rarity. Then, she stopped on her tracks, her eyes widening in awe.

"Angel?" Fluttershy and Bolin were interrupted from their search when they heard hysterical yelling coming from Rarity.

"Did you find Angel?" Fluttershy asked.

"Is Pabu okay?"

But it was not the furies who Rarity was gasping at. She was gasping at the two tapestries that hovered over the former thrones that once belongs to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

"They are perfect! No castle in its right mind could possibly object to my restoring such exquisite works of art."

"Oh! They're really pretty, Rarity, but... we've have to keep looking for Pabu and Angel." said Bolin.

"Oh, I hope Angel doesn't think I've given up on him." said Fluttershy while Rarity galloped ahead up the plight of stairs.

"I'm right behind you!" instead of asking for assistance this time, Rarity started using her horn's magic to start levitating the first tapestry that stood above Luna's old throne, "Won't… *grunt* be… *grunt* a moment!"

(~)

Rainbow, Applejack and Mako peeked their heads from the wall, looking around for anything creepy to emerge. They stood before yet another hallway, this time alined with pony-metal armor dummies. "Do you think there's a single room in this castle that isn't filled with terrifying things?" Mako asked.

"What's the matter, you scared already?" the country pony taunted, making Mako narrow his eyes at her.

Rainbow Dash approached the lifeless statues, eying it suspiciously. She tapped it with her hoof, causing it to slightly tilt and she gasped, "Whoa!" she quickly turned towards the firebender, instinctively seeking protection. Only to realize what she was doing and laughed nervously, "It's just old pony armor. What's the big deal?"

Applejack began walking ahead, "Yeah! It's not like it's gonna come to life or anything. Right?"

"Of course not." Mako stated, taking up his role as the leader, "Statues don't come to life." however, regarding the logic of the world he was in, he questioned if there was any real truth to this fact.

Another organ sound was heard, and the wall around the pony armor Applejack was standing by suddenly spin and she disappeared. Rainbow was now face to face with just the pony armor, and she screamed in terror.

The organ sounded again, this time causing the wall in front of Rarity to also spin rapidly, and she disappeared as well. Fluttershy and Bolin screamed while hugging each other.

The organ sounded again, this time causing another bowl of carrots and berried to appear for Angel and Pabu.

The organ sounded once more, and Applejack found herself at the edge of the castle roof, near the large gargoyle statues, overlooking the Everfree Forest. Her green eyes looked to her side, lighting struck and she saw a terrifying dragon statue beside her, causing her to scream.

Rarity was tossed out back to the entrance of the castle, her mane and coat getting covered in mud, twigs and levees. In her hooves was the remains of the once beautiful tapestry. She screamed in terror at this.

Spike grew more and more frightened as he continued to hear the sounds of the organ, but his two companions were still occupied with reading the book.

"Seriously guys! You don't hear that?"

Korra rolled her eyes and took the pillow away from the dragon, placing it beside her and gesturing him to take his place with her. "Come on, Spike. Why don't you read along with us? It might help you relax."

(~)

Rarity spit the mud from her mouth and tried to shake the twigs and levees off of her body. She looked up, narrowing her eyes at the old palace. "Now, you look here, castle! You are very old and very scary! But your wall art is in an atrocious state!" the wind whistled, bellowing against her now messy mane, "And there is nothing you can do to keep me from my sacred task of restoration!" the bold unicorn levitated the piece of fabric she had and entered the castle once more.

(~)

Rainbow Dash and Mako were now the only ones left in the hallway. The two kept there flames lit, trying to find Applejack. Mako inspected form behind the pony armors, trying to figure out the mystery of their missing friend.

"There's got to be something here that triggered that door." he said

Rainbow Dash was already shaking, "So, any luck figuring it out yet?"

"Not yet, but I think--Whoa!" the firebender must have done something to cause the wall to once again slip and he disappeared, leaving Rainbow Dash all alone. The pegasus screamed before flying off.

(~)

A very frightened Bolin and Fluttershy called out for their unicorn friend, "Rarity? You still here?" Bolin asked, "I know hiding isn't really your sense of humor, but please let this be a joke!"

While he was trembling, Fluttershy hesitantly approached the throne at the top of the stairs and, very gently, touched the arm of it.

The sound of the organ played again, causing both her and Bolin to scream and run off in a panick.

(~)

Mako screamed as he slid down in the darkness, the castle was clearly filled with secret pathways, too bad it too him this long to figure that out. He finally landed, discovering he had reached a room, landing from the wall, which had opened up to reveal the door before sliding closed again. Mako groaned and noticed three figures in front of him.

"Mako? What are you doing here?"

"Korra?" the firebender stood up with help from the Avatar, rubbing his neck, "I could ask you the same thing." he took a moment to notice his surroundings, "What room is this?"

"It belonged to Luna and Celestia." Korra then showed him the book, "We've been reading this journal. It's filled with all sorts of information about this place. The trap doors, the wall slides, the hall of hooves, even something about an organ. Pretty cool, right?"

Mako blinked, "Trap doors? Organ?"

"Yeah. So, back to my previous question, what are you doing here?"

"Long story short; Rainbow and Applejack made a bet, I tagged along, we got lost and now I have no idea where they are."

Korra and Twilight exchanged concerned looks, "Well, where did you see them last?" Twilight asked.

"In some hallway filled with pony armor."

"Oh, I remember that one." Korra flipped through the pages until she found what she was searching for, "Here it is, on page 14. Come on, let's go get those two before they start 'freaking out'." Korra said the last part with obvious sarcasm. Mako chuckled nervously.

"Ha, ha, yeah. That'd be silly."

(~)

The wall slid once more and Applejack returned to the hall of pony armor. She realized that her two friends were no longer there. She peaked through an opening, seeing a long line of stairs, "Rainbow? Mako? I guess if I don't find you, I win by default, right?" gulping, she made her way down into the darkness.

(~)

Rarity, quite literally, stumbled back into where Korra, Twilight and Spike had previously entered. She grunted as she tried to remove the twigs from her beautiful mane, "Of all the castles in Equestria, this is by far the most ungrateful!--Oof!" she exclaimed angrily, only to have a rock land on her head. The wind started to blow in the evening sky, which could be seen above due to the absent roof. Slowly, the unicorn started to back up.

(~)

Fluttershy and Bolin were also walking backwards, whispering/yelling out for their friends, "Angel! Rarity!" Fluttershy silently cried out, "Oh… I hope you two are together."

"Pabu! Please give me sign you can hear me."

(~)

The wall slid open and Applejack peaked her head, only to be startled by yet another pony armor statue. She jumped away and backed up.

(~)

Rainbow Dash had had just about enough of this silliness as she flew outside, "Haunted statues, creepy armor... Come on, castle! Is that all you got?" thunder sounded off, causing Rainbow Dash to fearfully lower down.

(~)

All was silent, nothing but the sound of hooves hitting against the stone floor. The only rhythm was the hushes of the wind and the beating of hearts, filled with anxiety. When finally, they felt a sudden touch on their flanks.

Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, even Bolin immediately screamed in terror before galloping, running and flying all around the place in a frenzy. All of their fears had been let loose, no holding back. They were scarred. No lie.

Bolin was running around, his arms waving around like a maniac, while also somewhat sobbing. Rainbow Dash was flying so fast even she couldn't see where she was going. She collided with the tapestry and Rarity slid to a halt as the fabric landed over her.

"I was only trying to restore ancient art!" as she cried she ran around the place with the tapestry covering her face. Two of the leaves from her mane fell on a rock.

Lightning hit and the silhouette of the rock and leaves gave off the image of a bunny, for which Fluttershy mistook for her pet. She gasped and smiled.

"Angel?"

Applejack, in her frenzy, accidentally knocked down a pedestal right on the rock bunny, much to Fluttershy's complete and utter shock as tears swelled up in her eyes.

"AAANGEEEEEL!!!"

(~)

"I told the girls not to be afraid, but they wouldn't listen."

Mako, Korra, Twilight, Spike, Pabu and Angel were calmly walking down the hallways, looking for the one with the pony armor. The Avatar rolled her eyes as the firebender continued to insist he was not scared in the slightest.

"You sure you weren't a tiny bit spooked?"

Mako scoffed, "Please, you know me."

Korra knew he was lying, "Yeah, I do. And you were scared."

Before he could say anything else in defense, they all flinched at the sound of a loud shriek.

"What in the world is that?!" Twilight asked.

"Oh, you know." Spike began as he hid behind Korra's leg, "Probably just more strange sounds of this old castle falling apart!"

"No one likes sarcasm, Spike." the alicorn said calmly.

"It sounds like it's coming from the main entrance." said Korra. The others wasted no time in making their way there. Once they reached the balcony above the entrance, they were remarkably surprised by all of the madness happening before their eyes. Bolin was screaming and wailing, Rarity had a tapestry over her, while also crying, Rainbow was firing all over the place like a torpedo, Applejack was galloping all over like a blind horse and Fluttershy was trying to lift a pedestal for some reason, also while crying.

"It's okay, Angel! You're okay! You're okay!"

"What got into them?" Spike asked, while Mako face palmed himself.

Applejack screamed, "Yaaaaah! Shadows everywhere!"

Mako placed his hands on Korra's shoulder as they both ducked over when Rainbow Dash came zooming by. The two teens, alicorn and dragon all shared the exact same annoyed expressions.

"Yeah, this has got to stop." Korra said calmly before Twilight took immediate action and flew on down, landing on a plight of stairs.

"Alright, everypony, stop!"

Her horn glowed brightly, unleashing a spell that automatically froze all of her friends in place. Magenta auras circled around their bodies. Applejack looked up, realizing who the voice belonged to.

"Twilight?"

Fluttershy, while frozen, was still trying to lift up the pedestal, "Must… save... Ange—!"

"Flutters, he's right here." Korra stated, with the little bunny on her shoulder, saluting to his mistress with his ear.

"…Oh."

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, frozen in mid air, "What are you doing here?"

"She's with me…" Rarity said, while still under the tapestry.

Bolin looked up at his brother and teammate, "Korra? Mako? Where did you come from?"

"I should be asking you that, little bro." Mako, Korra, Spike and the two furies walked on down to where Twilight stood and the alicorn deactivated the spell, while also removing the tapestry from Rarity.

"Thank you."

Korra squatted down to Rarity's level, removing the levees and twigs from her mane. "Have you all spent the whole night running around, scaring each other?"

"Well, that depends." said Applejack while Bolin was reunited with his beloved ferret, who jumped into his arms.

"On what?" Twilight asked.

"On whether or not you're the Pony of Shadows." said Rainbow Dash, pointing her hoof at the princess.

"What's… the Pony of Shadows?" Spike asked while trembling.

"Oh, that's just an old ponies' tale." Twilight said calmly to her little dragon.

"That's what I've been trying to tell them!" Mako stated, "I repeat: There is, nor was there ever, anything to be afraid of."

Immediately, after the words left his mouth, the ominous organ music was heard once more. Mako yelped and held Korra tightly, while the others huddled together, hugging Korra, Mako and Twilight for safety while trembling in fear.

"Then who's playing... that?" Spike asked as he clung on to Twilight.

The only ones who were not frightened were Korra and Twilight, who eyed the area, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from.

"We're going to find out." Twilight said bravely as she and Korra began walking ahead simultaneously, while everybody else held on tightly while still trembling.

As the music continued on, the group walked in deeper and deeper into the hallway, the music growing stronger and stronger. They finally reached a room, where the grand musical instrument stood. On the keyboard sat a mysterious cloaked figure playing the music. The very sight terrified the others, even Korra and Twilight.

"The Pony of Shadows!" the princess whispered.

"It is real." Mako whispered in agreement.

"I told you." Applejack whispered back to him.

However, Korra immediately detected something very off about this so called 'pony of shadows'. All fears left her as she approached the cloaked figure.

"Korra, what are you doing?" Bolin whispered at her.

Korra ignored him as she approached the shadow pony. Once she was right behind her all fears and theories disappeared. Everyone watched in terrow once she lifted the cloak right off…only to reveal a specific little pink pony, smiling back at them all.

"Hey, you guys! Did you know I can totally play the organ? Because I didn't!"

"Pinkie?!"

"Yep. Pinkie." Korra said smugly while smiling. "I recognize that happy attitude anywhere." it was true, due to her empathic connection with the ponies, Korra could already sense the pony's hight spirited heart once she walked into the room.

"Check it out!" Pinkie began playing the sports "Charge!" theme on the organ.

"You're the Pony of Shadows?" Rainbow asked.

"The pony of what?" Pinkie Pie simply smiled and continued to play a light melody.

Mako scoffed and turned to his brother, "See? What'd I tell ya?" his younger brother rolled his eyes.

"I thought you went to ring the school bell all week!" said Applejack.

"Oh, yeah! I only had to ring it for, like, five minutes! They said that was good enough! Eh, can't imagine why." as she spoke, both Twilight and Rainbow rolled their eyes, "So then, I decided to throw a "finish ringing the school bell" party! But I didn't have any bluebells, and you can't throw a "finish ringing the school bell" party without bluebells, so I went to Everfree Forest to pick some, but it started to get so chilly." she began playing a lightly tune, "I had to wrap myself up in the tarp I was gonna use to gather flowers, and then I saw Bolin, Fluttershy and Rarity. But they went into the castle before I could invite them to my party. Luckily, I followed them inside so I could help you all with your party!"

"What party is that?" Rarity asked.

"Uh, the "everypony come to the scary old castle and hide from each other while I play the organ" party?" she played the final note on the keyboard, which consequently activated yet another trap, causing a piece of the floor to sproing upwards, causing Spike to fly up and land a few feet behind everyone.

"Duh!"

"So, we were all running around the place like maniacs for nothing?" Bolin said while scratching his neck.

"Looks that way." said Korra.

(~)

After all of that craziness, everybody gathered together in the room where Korra and Twilight were previously. Rarity was sowing the broken tapestries while Bolin and Fluttershy played with their respected furry friends.

"I swear, this is going right back where I found it just as soon as I've returned it to its former glory." Rarity said as she sowed the tapestry.

"Now don't go running off again!" said Fluttershy as Angel nuzzled her nose, "Oh, I can't believe I was so frightened. Guess I let my imagination get the best of me."

"I think we all did." said Applejack.

Mako and Korra both sat on the floor, and the firebender crossed his arms, "Well, I knew the entire time that--"

"Oh, Mako will you stop!" Korra smiled, "Everyone knows you were scared too, just admit it."

"I was not!"

"Yes, you were." Korra said while crossing her arms and smirking.

"Well, I wasn't, okay!" he crossed his arms while pouting.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. So you also got carried away with your imagination."

Pinkie Pie popped in between them, "I always let my imagination run away from me! Then it comes back... with cake!"

Twilight Sparkle sat on the sofa with Spike, still reading the journal she had found, "Well, it's good to know that whenever your imagination is getting away from you, a good friend can help you rein it in."

"Well said, Twilight." said Korra, "And even though we didn't find anything about the mysterious chest, I'm glad we were here to help all of you."

"You both certainly did that." said Rarity.

"Yeah! Why weren't you scared?" Bolin asked.

"Reading Celestia's diary made it hard to be afraid, because we knew what it was like when she and Luna lived here." said Twilight, "Knowing something about the past made it easier to deal with my problems in the present, even the scary ones."

Hearing this reminded Korra of something very important she needed to talk with to Mako. "Speaking of dealing with stuff. Mako, there's something I…I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Mako loosened his arms, looking at the Avatar with soft eyes, "Yeah. Me too."

"Really? Why don't you go first. You've been through enough already."

"Okay. Please, don't take this the wrong way. You know how we've been seeing each other, well more intimately these past two weeks?"

"Yeah."

"And while it's been great and all, I couldn't stop thinking that…well, I…I"

"Spit it out!" Rainbow exclaimed, earning scornful looks from the two teens.

"I miss us, okay!"

Korra arched an eyebrow, "What?"

"Us, the way we used to be! I don't mind the dates, the hand holding or the kisses goodnight, I enjoy them, but I don't want us to be nothing but lovey dovey all the time. I miss, well this. How you're never afraid to tease me or say what's on your mind or tell me when I'm doing something wrong every single time I do it! I don't want us to end our current relationship but I don't want our previous friendship to change. It means too much to me. I guess, I was scared of you regretting to date me at some point that I started to try too hard."

For a moment, Korra was speechless. Her eyes were frozen in place, wide open and her mouth was hung. Both Twilight and Spike shared her exact same reaction. This worried Mako.

"You can say something at any time now."

Much to his remarkable surprise, Korra lunged forward and hugged him tightly, "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that!"

"You are?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I wanted to say to you this whole time." she backed away, taking in a deep breath, "Oh, what a load off my shoulders."

Mako chuckled in relief, "Wow. Guess we can agree on something."

"Yeah. Who knew."

"So…are we okay, with this?"

"Yes. Mako, I do want to explore our feelings for each other, but I don't want to lose sight of what brought us together in the first place." she placed her hand on his shoulder, "And that was our friendship. Our crazy, messed up yet wonderful friendship."

Mako smiled, "I'd like that." and so, they sealed the deal by hugging. Both feeling a wave of relief overcome them as the ponies swooned.

"I've just thought of a great idea!" said Twilight, "Why don't we keep a journal, just like the royal pony sisters?"

"All of us?" asked Fluttershy.

"Sure! That way we can learn from each other! And maybe some day, other ponies will read it and learn something, too!"

"What a splendid idea!" Rarity said.

"Can me and Mako write stuff too?" Bolin asked.

"Of course. It's for everyone to share."

Applejack; "I know what my first entry will be! "Dear Diary, I'm glad Granny Smith's legend wasn't true."

Rainbow Dash; "Me too!"

Pinkie Pie: "Me three! Because that means you two are still tied for Most Daring Pony!" both Rainbow Dash and Applejack narrowed their eyes competitively at one another. Mako rolled his eyes and face palmed himself.

"Heh, Shadow Ponies... How ridiculous is that?" said Spike, earning a laugh from everyone.

However, deep in the dark hallways of the castle, stood a mysterious figure who had been observing the group this entire time. However, this was not a creature of the night as they had feared, but a future ally. One whom Korra would have the pleasure of meeting.

Sooner than she thought.

(~)

Chapter 4–Daring Don’t

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"Hello, everybody! So glad you could all make it back. I have to say that because (looks around to make sure no one is listening and points to above him) She's watching me.

Anywho, on to our next tale.

Everypony knows Rainbow Dash as the fastest and most daring pony around. You'd think there was no other pony as tough and hard-core as she is, right?

Well, that is where you are wrong. Confused? Let me elaborate.

It was a warm sunny day in Equestria. Fluttershy was caring to her woodland friends when she received an unexpected visit from a very excitable pony.

And I don't mean Pinkie Pie.

(~)

Daring Don't

It was a bright day indeed. The sun was shining as brightly as young Fluttershy's butter-yellow coat. The sweet-hearted pegasus was on a tree branch, teaching young birdies to fly. Behind her was a drawing demonstration of flying for which she was using as a teaching method to the little ones.

Accompanying her was a young girl, around ten to eleven years old with short brown hair, soft brown eyes, and wearing orange and yellow nomadic clothing. This was Jinora, an Airbender and good friend of Fluttershy, who was observing the pony instruct the birds from a second branch.

"Now, little ones, today is the first day of flying practice. Now, watch me." she opened up her wings and flapped them o so elegantly as to allow the hatchlings to keep up. "See? Not so bad. Now you try."

The two birdies looked at one another with uncertainty. They were pretty nervous to try flying for the first time. But, with an encouraging smile from Fluttershy, the little ones opened up their wings and began to flap. In only a matter of seconds, they were hovering three feet above their nest.

"Wonderful job!" said the pegasus proudly.

Jinora clapped her hands softly as to not frighten the small ones, "Wow, you really are great with animals Fluttershy."

Then, suddenly, she heard a familiar voice coming straight at her, followed by a rainbow-colored trail that billowed behind her as she approached Fluttershy.

"Four more months, four more months, four more months!"

Jinora nearly tumbled off of the branch she was on when an excitable Rainbow Dash came zooming in, shoving Fluttershy away from the tree. The young Airbender hoists herself up with her airbending abilities.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Oops, sorry Jinora. Didn't see you there."

"At the speed, you were going, I can see why. What's got you so excited anyway?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Right Fluttershy?"

The shy pegasus rubbed her leg in uncertainty, "I, uh, I could be excited. I don't know. I wasn't thinking—"

"Come on, you gotta be excited!"

"Oh, well, I guess maybe I'm a little kinda sort of excited."

"I thought so!"

"Yeah… So, um, why am I excited?"

Jinora rolled her eyes while Rainbow Dash explained the reason why she was so excited. "Because the next Daring Do book is coming out exactly four months from today! That's how exciting it is!"

"Daring Do?" Jinora asked, "Isn't that the adventure book you lend to Korra?"

"The very one! Have ya read it yet? Pretty awesome right?"

"I've skimmed a few chapters. With Korra having read the entire thing five times I had a hard time trying to pry it away."

"I don't blame her, Daring Do is the most amazing, most epic, most unbelievably most awesome pony ever! Who knows what amazing, incredible, awesome adventure Daring Do will have in her next book." the pegasus began to fantasize about all of the epic adventures her imaginary hero would soon face.

"Will she at long last stalk the Fortress of Talicon? Only to be forced to contend with its dreaded and impenetrable arrow defense? And if so, could her skill, quick wits, and courage possibly carry the day? Or will her next adventure bring her face to face with the vast and horrible Ahuizotl himself?! Would she cower, turn tail and run? Or would she fly at him, full bore, knowing full well against all odds that the greatest challenge she ever faced was still surely no match for—"

"Look out!"

In all of her excitement, Rainbow Dash collided into the tree where Fluttershy stood, landing on the next. She was in a daze while the two little birds from before comically flew around her head.

"Oh, I'm not so sure she's gonna last another four months…" said Jinora to Fluttershy, who nodded in agreement.

(~)

Rainbow Dash hopped and flipped her way to Twilight's library house. The first month had already passed, oh too slowly to her liking, but she only had three more months to go.

"Three months and twenty-six days, three months and twenty-six days, three months and twenty-six days!" she arched her friend's house and walked in, "Heya, Twilight! Aren't you excited that—" she was interrupted when Pinkie Pie blew a party horn while hanging from the ceiling.

All of her friends, including Mako, Korra, Bolin, even Asami were gathered at the library having a little party. Everyone was wearing some form of a hat. Pinkie Pie wore a fez, Fluttershy a purple top-hat with flowers, Twilight had a party hat and Rarity wore a plastic pink tiara, as did Asami, but her's was violet and had flowers rather than hearts. Korra and Mako wore party hats while Bolin also wore a fez, colored green, and Pabu wore a matching one, and Applejack wore a big red hat with white apples imprinted on it.

"So glad you've finally made it!" said Twilight as she levitated a cup of fruit punch. Her horn was covered by her hat, so it glowed along with her magic. Since the hat was made of paper her magic could easily work with it over her horn.

"What's everybody doing here?" asked the blue pegasus curiously.

"We're having a holiday party!" said Pinkie Pie, right before flowing her party horn again in Rainbow's face, which contained little confetti within it.

"So what holiday would today be?" Rainbow asked.

"National Random Holiday Party Day! Woo-hoo!"

Rarity approached her friend, taking a sip from her cup, "I've never heard of it either. But the punch is quite tasty."

"You might say the secret ingredient is…" Pinkie Pie leaned in closer to Rainbow and whispered loudly, "a secret!"

"How come nopony bothered to invite me?" Rainbow asked in surprise.

"I came to invite you personally," Korra said as she placed a party hat on Rainbow's head, "but you were too busy reading the last Daring Do book for the twelfth time."

"Well, can ya blame me? Besides, haven't you read the one I gave you five times already?"

"How can I not?" Korra replied excitedly, "I'll never forget the way Daring Do swung from one end of the cliff to the other, and all with a broken wing! Man, that took guts!"

The fire bender, Mako also showed his enthusiasm for the series, "Or at that part where Daring cleverly figured out the riddle to the puzzle inside that ancient pyramid. I thought she'd never make it out!"

"Or how about when she escaped the pool of lava?"

"And when she faced Ahuizotl in that epic showdown to get the Sapphire Statue!"

"And when she tackled that griffon with her front hooves to get the Goblet!"

"And crafting a getaway boat with nothing but bamboo and a compass!"

The two teens were so wrapped up in their fan-raging that they didn't notice the many eyes looking at them oddly. Even Asami was rather surprised by this. Korra and Mako cleared their throats, trying to regain their composure.

"Yeah, well…okay."

Rainbow Dash wrapped her hooves around their shoulders, "Well, in three months and twenty-six more days, we'll be able to read the next book."

"I think that calls for a toast." Korra picked up her cup as Mako and Rainbow piked theirs and made their toast to reading the next in the Daring Do series. However, Twilight had some news for them.

"Oh, haven't you heard? The release of the next book got pushed another two months."

The three friends immediately spit out their punch in shock. "Two more months?!"

"But, I've been waiting so long already!" said Rainbow Dash while trembling, "I don't think I can take another two months! I'll never make it!" the poor pegasus nearly passed out, only to have both Mako and Korra catch her in their arms.

"Yeah. I can vouch for that…" said Fluttershy, and Asami nodded in agreement.

"Did they give a reason?" Asami asked, curious as well even though she had yet to read the series but was concerned about her friend's depressed reaction.

"The publisher just said author A.K. Yearling won't be able to finish the book for another two months." said Twilight before levitating a tray, "Cupcakes?"

Pinkie Pie immediately took a bite.

Rainbow Dash growled when she came back to, now landing on the floor facing Twilight, "How could you possibly know that before me? I'm the series' biggest fan!"

"I'm just as big a fan as you! I'm the one who first introduced you to the books, remember?"

"And you guys introduced them to us," said Mako.

"And, we were hooked." said Korra, "A.K Yearling is an amazing adventure writer."

"I know, she just might be my favorite author." said Twilight, "I know everything about her. Where she grew up, where she studied literature, where she wrote the first Daring Do book…"

Then, Rainbow gained an idea, "Where she lives?"

"Uh… no, though I could probably find out somehow. Why?"

"Don't you get it? The new book is obviously delayed because she needs help dealing with whatever everyday nonsense is distracting her from spending her every living breathing second writing!"

Asami stepped forward, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there Rainbow. Don't you think you're being a little overly dramatic?"

"Yeah, that's usually Rarity's territory," said Mako…only to receive a kick in the leg, courtesy of the said white unicorn. "Ow!"

Korra squatted down to Rainbow's level, "Besides, waiting for the next book isn't that bad."

"Easy for you to say!" said Rainbow Dash, "You've only just found out about the books, I wouldn't expect you to be die-hard fans just yet." she placed her hooves on both sides of Korra's face. "But I am! I– I mean, fans like me, need to read the new book ASAP!" she released Korra's face and the Avatar rubbed her cheeks while narrowing her eyes in annoyance. "Think about it! We could help her with her laundry, buy her groceries, cooking her meals, whatever! Now, who wouldn't appreciate that?"

Twilight pondered, "Hmm, I don't know... What she probably wants most of all is respect for her privacy."

"I agree with Twilight." said Mako, "I know I wouldn't want somebody to just randomly barge into my house."

"She can always just say no," said Rainbow, wrapping her hoof around his shoulder and looked on at everypony else, who looked at one another in uncertainty before nodding in agreement.

"I still think it's not a wise idea." said the fire bender.

"I agree." Korra stated, "Tenzin is always nagging to me about patience, maybe this would be a good thing." All eyes fell on Korra, looking on as if she had lost her mind. "I know, that doesn't sound like me at all." she crossed her arms, "But I still stand by giving her privacy."

While Korra was no stranger to interrogating or barging into action, if somebody had done nothing to offend anybody or did a crime then she saw nothing wrong with leaving them be and do their own thing.

"Korra's right," said Mako.

But Rainbow Dash, much like the Avatar, was very persistent, "Aw, come on! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese?" then, Rainbow resulted in using her most powerful weapon of all….

The Puppy Eyes!

Korra and Mako immediately shielded their eyes, trying their hardest to fight the overwhelming cuteness.

"Oh no! Not the puppy eyes!" Korra begged, shielding her eyes.

"Anything but the puppy eyes!" Mako exclaimed.

But it was no use, Rainbow's big sad shimmering rose-colored eyes were far too much for our young heroes to resist any longer. Their walls were tumbling, their defenses breaking down. It was over.

"Okay! Okay!!"

Rainbow flipped in the air in victory, "Yes! Come on, let's go find Yearling!" she zipped right out the door, creating a gust of wind, only to pop her head from the door again, "So… how's about getting that address?"

(~)

The Mane Six and Team Avatar traveled across Equestria, following an old yellow-colored map to seek out A.K Yearling. They took Naga to make the trip a tad easier.

"Are we there yet?" Bolin asked as the places where they had been marked red on the map. "How about now? Now? Okay, how about now? Are we there now?"

"Yes!" Twilight finally said, her and the rest having already grown tired of Bolin's constant asking. "At last Bolin, we are finally here."

Naga made her way through a jungle forest while Pinkie Pie, standing from her tail, painted the trail they had walked on in red paint. Korra looked around the area, amazed to find that the author of her growing favorite book lived in such an isolated area.

"You see what I mean?" Mako said, he sat behind Korra, followed by Bolin and then Asami, "Why would she live in this remote part of Equestria except to keep folks from intruding on her privacy? We should respect—"

"I think I spotted the house!" Rainbow interrupted, "We're super close! This way!"

Korra told Naga to go forward until they reached the house of A.K. Yearling. However, this was not what they had expected to see.

"Oh no. What happened?" Twilight said in shock as she and the others jumped off of Naga.

The house was a small cottage with stone walls and wooden windows. The house was made of hey, covering the top in a fuzzy yellow blanket. Pieces of the door and windows had been yanked right off, with books, furniture, house cleaning items, even pieces of wood were scattered outside, looking as if somebody had ransacked the place.

"Apparently somepony has intruded on her privacy pretty hard already…" Rainbow was in equal shock. Who could have done this to her favorite author?

"Looks like we came at the right time," said Korra before taking the first step forward, only to have Mako try and stop her.

"Korra, be careful. We don't know who did this."

"Whoever it is, we can handle it."

The rest of the group followed the Avatar while the firebender groaned and facepalmed himself, "This won't end well." he hesitantly followed as well.

Korra slowly tapped her index finger on the already nearly ripped-off door, but even that was enough for it to fall to the floor entirely. She squatted down and peeked inside the door, while the otter's ponies all peaked inside as well.

The inside was worse than the outside. Endless pages of books were scattered or ripped apart, pictured were either broken or crooked and furniture had been smashed or turned over. The Mane Six entered, followed by the humans, who needed to squad a bit when they came through the door. Asami had hit her forehead when she did. Mako extended his hand to help her, which she took before quickly dismissing it. The fire bender lowered his shoulders, things between them were still a little tense.

"Hoo-wee, somepony really trashed this place," said Applejack.

Pinkie Pie inspected the ruin, "Hmm… Maybe... or maybe A.K. Yearling's just a terrible, horrible, unbelievable slob!" she said by placing a frying pan on her head, sledding down the stairs with a carpet behind her like a cape and tossing more books into the air.

Rarity approached a cracked mirror, "I hope A.K. Yearling's alright!" she said with sincere concern.

"Oh no! What if something terrible happened to her?" Bolin said in fear and Rainbow Dash appeared from underneath a pile of garbage, looking around franticly.

"I know! There might be no more books!" she received some stern looks from Twilight, Mako, Korra, and even Asami, "Uh… But, of course, I'd be worried about her, too. Heh."

Mako decided that the wisest thing to do would investigate, "Whatever happened here, maybe the culprits left a clue somewhere."

"How is anyone suppose to find anything in all of this?" Korra asked as she picked up some crumpled paper and unfolded them. Suddenly, she noticed something peculiar. "Hey, look at this."

She showed Mako the piece of crumpled paper and his eyes widened and read the words out loud, "The Rings of Scorchero?"

However, this detective search would have to be placed on hold.

"What are you all doing here?"

Everyone jerked up when they heard a voice coming from the entrance. It was a female pony with tan colored coat and grey hair covered in a grey hat with a white ribbon and bow. She wore a long dark purple cap around her body and large red glasses over her rosy red eyes. Rainbow Dash was now speechless.

"Uh… A... K-K... Yearling…?" she squeed with delight upon seeing her. Even Korra was amazed as she gripped Mako's arm.

"Wow…that's her…it's her," she remembered the situation they were in and tried to explain. "Uh, we didn't do this! We swear!"

A.K. Yearling entered her now destroyed home, looking up at the two-legged creatures, "What are you?" she asked.

Before Korra or Mako could explain, Bolin stepped forward, "Hi, Ms. Yearling. Let me just say what an honor it is to meet you. I haven't read your books just yet but I hear they're amazing. My name's Bolin, that's my brother Mako, Avatar Korra, and Asami Sato. We're humans from Republic City. Don't worry, we're friendly, honest."

The mysterious pony simply arched an eyebrow while the other facepalmed themselves in embarrassment.

"What have you done to my house?" she asked as she approached a carpet.

"We didn't do this, Ms. Yearling," said Applejack right before Yearling pulled the carpet from under her, "— whoa!"

The tan pony ignored her visitors, even the strange creatures, for which she would deal with later as she looked around her home, visibly searching for something.

"We're awfully glad to see you're alright," said Twilight.

Rainbow Dash was looking through some papers on the floor, noticing that they looked similar to the crumpled piece of paper Korra and Mako had found. Realizing Yearling was staring at her, she whistled and tried to act casual. Yearling approached another pile of books, still looking for something.

"Okay, clearly this isn't the best time," Rainbow began, "but I've just gotta say how much we all love your books…" suddenly, the tanned pony dawned an irritable look on her face and leaped forward, kicking Mako in the gut, causing him to be thrown backward and land on the floor as a nearly broken shelf on the wall tilted and a book landed open on his head.

"Mako!" Korra and Asami rushed to his aid. The Avatar scorned the pony, "What's your problem?!"

"Where is it!" she demanded to know, "What have you done with it?!"

"We don't know what you're talking about! We said we didn't do this!" Korra then caught something at the corner of her eye. Buried underneath a pile of trash was a dark crimson book with golden edges. Something about it caught her attention immediately, almost as if something powerful was inside of it. She instinctively grabbed it and then tossed it to the pony.

"Is this what you're looking for?"

The pony smiled with glee when the book reached her hooves. She began turning the three golden corners of the book, almost like she was loosening a lock. She placed her hoof on the circle with a golden horseshoe and turned it like a door nob. The three gold rings unlocked and the book opened, revealing it was not an actual book but a secret box. Once it opened a golden ring-like object emerged. Yearling sighed in relief as she placed it into her clock.

"It's safe."

Korra and Mako were amazed, the ring looked identical to the picture they had found. What was this famous author hiding?

Rainbow Dash decided now was a good time for her to ask Yearling what she wanted to ask, "Great! Maybe now would be a good time for me to ask you how we can help move the new book along a little faster. Chop chop!" she shoved the typewriter towards her, making Yearling scowl at her.

"Rainbow Dash, a minute please!" Twilight Sparkle used her magic to levitate the impatient pony outside to speak privately.

The two girls assisted the firebender up but Yearling stood before them, "You didn't come to steal what was mine?"

"No!" Korra stated, "Look, we only came because our friend really wanted the next book of Daring Do. We came to your house, it was wrecked, end of the story."

"You're…telling the truth?"

"Yes!"

The pony pondered, these creatures were unlike anything she had ever seen, but she learned from past experiences to no longer be fazed by new species. She could see that they meant no harm especially with the sincerity that was seen in this human's eyes.

"Alright. Now leave."

Korra scoffed, "Gladly." she and the rest of her friends exited the cottage, and Asami hit her head again against the entrance.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Mako dusted himself while Korra was still steamed by the pony's rude behavior, "Maybe coming here was a bad idea." she said and inspected her firebender, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I guess Yearling's been reading too much of her own work. That move looked like something Daring would have done."

"I know. Also, what was up with that ring? Something's definitely up."

"Sure you're not just overreacting?" Asami asked, "Maybe she's just really possessive. A.K. Yearling has made it pretty clear that she wants to be left alone."

"Exactly!" Twilight agreed as she schooled Rainbow Dash, "We need to respect her wishes."

"You should tell that to those guys." Pinkie Pie pointed towards the window roof of the cottage, where they saw a mysterious trio of male ponies enter Yearling's home.

"What the heck?" Korra asked, "Who are they?"

"Maybe more obsessed fans?" Bolin suggested, though very uncertainly.

Korra attempted to walk in again but was stopped by Mako, "Hold on. The last thing we need is her getting angrier."

"Well, what do we do about those guys?"

Mako gestured to the others to follow him and they all squatted down, peeking through the window to see if these ponies were a true threat or not.

Yearling was adjusting the broken mirror when the three ponies appeared in the reflection. The pony turns around to face them. One of the ponies was white with sunglasses and dark hair and tail, the other was tan with brown hair and tail and a red scarf around his neck with a top hat and sported a five-o-clock shadow. The third looked older and bulkier with a grey coat and orange mane and tail with sideburns of the same color, wearing a tan vest.

But before they could attack, Yearling tossed her clock at the tan pony, her hat at the grey pony's face, and her glasses at the white one. Her grey mane now fell over her neck, adorned with paler and darker grey streaks. The same streaks were on her tail. She had a pair of pegasus wings, one holding the golden ring, a green explore's shirt and an explores's hat. Twilight, Rainbow, Korra, and Mako gasped in baffled shock at the sight before their eyes, and exclaimed in unison;

"A.K. Yearling is Daring Do!"

They could not believe it! The fictional hero from the stories they adorned was standing right before them. And she was the actual author as well! Korra didn't know what to think, any anger she felt towards the pony had faded, being replaced with both amazement, confusion and…well, giddiness.

Mako was also unsure about this. He had come to love the Daring Do books almost as much as Korra and Rainbow did, but seeing that character before his eyes, he didn't know what to say or think. He honestly thought the books were fictional as well, finding it interesting that ponies still had their own brand of mythology.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash were giddy with excitement. Their favorite heroine, in the fur before their eyes.

"A.K. Yearling and Daring Do are one and the same!" Twilight said, placing her hooves on her cheeks, smiling with glee, "My mind is officially blown!"

"While I think my mind just exploaded." said Mako, while still surprised, was just as exited about this as well. Even he had a certain liking towards adventure.

Korra was now completely overjoyed with seeing such an amazing hero in front of her. "OhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGosh!" she repeated Rainbow's signature phrase.

"Aw, come on, I knew it all along." Rainbow said, earning eye rolls from the three.

The entire group watched as the actual Daring Do, while holding the ring in her mouth, fought the other ponies. The grey one jumped at her, trying to take the ring away with his own mouth, but Daring Do kicked him with her leg, causing him to be tossed back. While the others gave their commentary from outside as if they were watching a show.

Applejack; "Amazing!"

The white pony pulled on Daring Do's tail, only to be kicked back as well.

Rarity; "Incredible!"

Daring Do stood her ground as the two ponies jumped at her, but she easily bucked them off of her before the four engaged in an all out brawl, the ring being tossed out of Daring's gasp and was tossed up, spinning in the ceiling lamp and tossed into the fireplace.

Bolin; "Wow!"

The three approached the fire, hesitant to take it from the flames. Daring, using her mouth, unleashed a lasso to take the ring from the fireplace. The ring, now red from the heat, made contact with a vase of liquid which fell on it, causing the heat to diminish.

Pinkie Pie; "Wow! So much action! Whee!"

Daring flew over to the other side of the room, using a chair to keep the other ponies at bey.

Korra; "A chair? Seriously?

Rainbow Dash; "Daring Do!"

In her excitement, Rainbow called out her hero's name, distracting her and allowing the three ponies to jump on her, causing her to loose her grip on the ring. The golden object fell to the floor and another pony entered the house. It was a dark skinned pony, also with a five-o-clock shadow but with sleek, suave looking dark grey hair, wearing a white tan shirt and a golden skull for a cutie mark. He took the ring in his hoof and spoke in a Spanish accent.

"Many thanks, Daring Do. As you've probably surmised, our earlier search for this treasure was... unsuccessful. So kind of you to find it for us."

Daring grunted as she attempted to fight once more, but her leg was wounded so she fell, "Give it back, Caballeron!"

"That's Doctor Caballeron to you."

Rainbow whispered to Mako, "He's from book four: Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams."

"I know," he said, "He wanted to partner with Daring Do on her adventures, but she refused."

"I still can't believe it!" Twilight said with glee, equal to Rainbow, "The real Daring Do and the real Caballeron!"

"Wait, if they're real, that means all of the other books were real too." Korra stated, "Even Ahuizotl! This. Is. Too cool!"

Daring wobbled as she struggled to stand up, "So let me guess: Ahuizotl has put you up to this?"

Korra; "Knew it!"

"You're stealing the ring to give to him so his hold on the Fortress of Talicon will be good for eight centuries as foretold by prophecy!"

"Close, but... no." said Caballeron, "I'm going to sell this to him, make a bundle, and retire from archaeology in splendor."

Daring Do tried to take the ring away from her enemy, but was held back by his henchponies. "Caballeron, you fool! You're dooming the valley to eight centuries of unrelenting heat!"

"To market, henchponies!" at his command, the lackeys released a wounded Daring Do, leaving the place with the ring. The pegasus struggled to stand.

But while Caballeron and his ponies galloped away, they were suddenly stopped by four tall creatures, looking down at them in disapproval while the female one with blue eye pounded her fists together.

"Haven't you heard? It's not nice to steal."

(~)

Rainbow Dash rushed towards her fallen hero, who was bandaging her wounded leg. "Are you okay?"

But Daring simply shoved Rainbow's hoof away, "I got this."

"Um, she was just trying to help, Ms. Do." said Fluttershy.

"Daring Do doesn't need help." said the pegasus, placing her hat and walking away from the ponies, "She handles her business herself." she stopped on her tracks when Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami appeared before her. Korra pulled out the golden ring.

"You sure about that."

"The ring! How did you--"

"Four tall humans against four shorter ponies. You do the math." Korra smiled smugly. However, instead of a thank you, Daring simply flew up and took the ring away from them. "What? No thank you?"

"You shouldn't have interfered in the first place." Daring said firmly as she placed the ring on the floor.

"If we hadn't those guys would be half way to Ahuizotl by now!"

"Why was he after the ring anyway?" Asami asked.

"Book 3." Mako said.

Asami arched an eyebrow, "Come again?"

"In book 3 Ahuizotl sought control of the Tenochtitlan Basin." he explained.

Korra explained next, "But in book four, she defeated Ahuizotl and secured control of the Amulet of Atonement, dispelling the dark magic of the Ketztwctl Empress, and thus protecting the basin with the Radiant Shield of Razdon."

Rainbow explained next, "But the Radiant Shield of Razdon is vulnerable to the dark enchantment of the Rings of Scorchero!"

Twilight continued next, "But the Rings were scattered to the four corners of Tenochtitlan, thus rendering the dark enchantment powerless"

Rainbow continued, "Only if you assume that the Rings have yet to be retrieved, and the ring Caballeron tried to steal isn't the last to completely restore the dark tower and its cruel hold on Tenochtitlan!"

"Nerds!" Bolin exclaimed, earning annoyed glances from the four fans.

"The point is, if Ahuizotl gets a hold of all of those rings, this valley is doomed to suffer a thousand years of unbearable heat." Mako stated.

"Didn't Daring already say that?" Asami asked, "And she has one of the rings, so that's a good thing, right?"

"But it's not enough." said Daring, "This ring isn't like the others. It's also used a locator to find the rest. Ahuizotl wants it to find the actual last ring in order to fulfill his dark wish. That's why I need it, to find the last ring before he does."

"Maybe we can help." Korra said eagerly, "If we work together we can retrieve all the rings."

"That's a great idea!" said Rainbow Dash, "This is so amazing! Working side by side with Daring Do!" *sqee!*

"No!" Daring exclaimed, "I don't need any of your help. I work alone."

"But--"

Before she could say another word, Daring Do was already off, flying up into the sky to continue her journey, with the locator ring with her. But Rainbow Dash refused to give up.

"We've gotta go help!"

"You heard her!" said Twilight, "She says she works alone!"

"How can we just stand by and do nothing? You know what's at stake here!"

"You gotta admit, Rainbow Dash makes a pretty good point." said Pinkie Pie.

"We gotta help Daring Do retrieve the rings before it's too late!"

Twilight was still uncertain about this. "I don't know."

Mako and Korra both led Twilight a few feet away from the others and the teens squatted down to her level in an attempt to reason with her. "Twily, I know this hasn't turned out like we expected, but there are worse things than helping a pegasus adventure pony in saving a valley from a weird blue dog thing."

"Besides, we've all seen how Daring handled those guys by herself." said Mako, "She's gonna need all the help she can get."

Twilight pondered on this for a moment, "Are you guys saying this because it's the right thing, or because you both really want to go."

Korra placed her hand together, pleadingly. "I really, really, really want to go."

"And it's the right thing." Mako added. Though, he also really wanted to go just as much as Korra did.

Twilight sighed in defeat, "Okay, but we're going to need a carefully thought out plan…"

"I'm coming, Daring Do!" Rainbow Dash was already off in search of her hero.

"That's not a plan!"

(~)

Rainbow Dash flew over the vast forest, looking for any signs of the tan colored pegasus pony. "Come on, come on, come on... " She stop in mid-flight when she spotted Daring down bellow and speeded downwards to reach her, "Bingo! Here I come, Daring Do! To join an adventure with the greatest, bravest, coolest, most incredible hero I could ever– " she stopped once more, whimpering in hesitation, "Okay, maybe I just need a sec…"

She flew down and landed where she last saw Daring, trying her best to ease her anxiety, galloping along, "Just another adventure. No big deal." she then smacked herself, "Get a grip! I got this. I'm not just the fastest flyer in Ponyville, but I'm a top notch firbender pony. Yeah, I'll just show her my firebending skills, she'll like that, right?"

She stopped once more and backed up a few spaces, "Though, doing it alongside Daring Do... Wow! Maybe I could get my picture taken with her, or an autograph–" she smacked herself again, "There you go again. She's just a pony like any other pony. A pony who stops entire armies of bad guys with nothing more than her bare hooves, and an attitude, and—!" she smacked herself once last time, her cheek turning red this time around, "Ow… That's starting to hurt."

Rainbow's vision became dark once Daring ambushed her with her hat over her face. The two tumbled across the forest floor and Rainbow removed the hat from her face.

"Yow! Stop!"

"Oh, it's just you." Daring said, disinterested as she placed her hat back on and prepared to leave.

"Wait, don't go!" Rainbow felt her cheek flush from embarrassment at the scornful look Daring gave her before walking away. "Think fast." Rainbow said to herself, "This is your big chance to impress her with your quick wit and courage."

Daring took the book which contained the ring. The book itself emitted a glow from within, as Daring used it to find the location of the final ring. When suddenly, Rainbow Dash peeked up from behind a bush, once again, acting like a fan-girl.

"I am suuuuuch a huge fan." she said, laughing nervously. Daring simply sighed in boredom before walking away. Only to be stopped again by Rainbow.

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me show you what I can do. Okay, stand back."

Daring rolled her eyes but decided to humor her this one time. However, her eyes widened when she saw what the pegasus did. She couldn't believe it, this crazy fan-girl pony created a flame from her hoof.

"How did you do that?"

"Something my friends Korra and Mako taught me." she hurled the fire blast, which hit a branch, causing it to break and fall, right above Daring. She quickly jumped out of the way in the last minute when the now partly burned branch laid on the ground. Rainbow blushed in embarrassment.

"He, he, sorry. Guess my aim's a bit off today." As impressive as that was, Daring had more important things to do. She rolled her eyes and walked off, once again being stopped by Rainbow Dash.

"Pleas, let me help you!" she dusted Daring's shirt and hat, "I promise I could be a huge, huge help if you just give me a chance."

Daring Do stared daggers at the pony, "I. Work. Alone." with that, she walked off again.

"But why won't you let me team up with you just this once?!"

"My work always involves secrets. And since you never know who you can trust, it's best never to trust anypony."

"But just because you can't trust some, doesn't mean nopony can be trusted!"

"Look, I don't have time to argue-"

"Neither do I. Let's go!"

Rainbow took the lead and flew off at top speed. Daring sighed in annoyance, "Can't believe I'm even talking to her…"

(~)

Night had finally fallen and the two pegasus ponies followed the intensifying glow of the ring within the book. Rainbow tried her best to keep silence, but every now and again she would bombard her hero with questions, for which she would either ignore of bluntly answer quickly just to get her to shut up. At this point, now Rainbow was sharing with Daring her own story about how she and the Mane Six, plus Team Avatar defeated Amon and saved Republic City.

"So, then Korra unlocked her airbending and--swoosh!--tossed Amon right out the window and into the water! He started waterbending and that's when everyone found out he was a fraud."

Daring had to admit, the tale was pretty fascination. "Wow. That's pretty impressive."

"Maybe you can write about it some time! That would be so cool if--" Rainbow was interrupted when Daring covered her mouth and told her to squat down. The book of hers glowed brighter and she pushed the bushes back further. She found what appeared to be some kind of stone tablet with aztec writing on it as well as a circular formation on it.

"This is it."

She opened up the book that contained the locator key and placed it on the circular area. It glowed and the stone tablet began to slide open, revealing the final ring that Daring and her arch enemy had been searching for. Rainbow's eyes shimmered with glee.

"Wow! We found it!" she slid back at seeing Darings scornful look. "I mean, you--you found it, he, he."

"Well done, Daring Do."

The two pegasus ponies gasped once they spotted Caballeron and his henchponies…all covered in bandages. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but laugh.

"Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"It's not funny!"

"Man, Korra and the crew sure did a number on you, didn't they?" she regained her composure and got ready to fight them, alongside Daring Do. "What ya gonna do now, hu?"

"Oh, we are not going to fight."

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and the tress rustled and a gigantic blue creature emerged, his large mouth wide open, unleashing a roar that shook the very ground they stood upon. The creature possessed an elongated dog-like head, except for his eyes, which were positioned over his nose at the end of his snout. He walked on all fours and had dog-like limbs and ape-like forelimbs, a long monkey-like tail with a hand on its end. His coat was dark blue with a lighter blue stomach, lower jaw and limbs. He wore golden jewelry around his neck, a single earring, three bracelets and one around his tail's wrist. He was Daring Do's arch enemy.

"Ahuizotl!"

The blue dog-creature laughed in victory, "Well done, Caballeron. You've made up for your previous mistake."

"You followed us?!" Daring asked in shock.

"More like, we followed them."

Rainbow's eyes widened in shock as fear consumed her heart. Ahuizotl had, wrapped in his tails grasp, the entire Team Avatar while the henchponies had the Mane Six tied up and gagged. Both Rarity and Twilight had metal-like tubes on their horns, keeping them from using their magic. Team Avatar struggled in the monster's grip but he just held them tighter. Naga was tied up and gagged with a muzzle.

"The ring, Daring Do! Give it to me!" Ahuizotl pounded his fist onto the ground in anger, but Daring jumped away, placing the ring around her neck.

"Now, Ahuizotl, you know I love you, but I can't give you the ring 'til I've properly proposed." she joked, making Team Avatar share skeptical looks.

"Those are some strange final words." said Bolin, before the monster holding them waved his tail around.

"Interesting, because my friends here have a proposal of their own." she snapped his fingers and four more creatures appeared from behind them. They were all feline in origin. A tiger, a cougar, a cheetah, a panther, and…a little white cat with a very bad temper.

While Daring backed away from the cats, Rainbow unleashed a fireblast at Ahuizotl.

"Let my friends go right now!"

The dog creature smirked and complied, "If you insist." with all of his might he lunged the four teens at Rainbow Dash. They collided and landed hard on the ground. Korra and Mako ended up unconscious while Bolin and Asami were still awake, along with Rainbow Dash.

Bolin got up and earthbended at Ahuizotl, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. His cat minions eased up on Daring Do, but this pony was ready for anything.

"Bring it!"

The panther lunged forward, only to receive a powerful punch from Daring's front hoof. The Tiger came at her, but she jumped up and landed on his head before performing a flying air kick at the cheetah and the cougar attacked her.

Asami untied the rest of the Mane Six, who spotted Caballeron and his minions escaping. Applejack quickly earthbended a rock prison for them all, keeping them at bey.

Korra and Mako groaned as they tried to stand up, Rainbow rushed to their aid. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine." Korra assured, "Are you?"

"Yeah." she then spotted Daring Do fighting the cats by herself.

The pegasus kicked and punched while Bolin and the rest of the Mane Six fought Ahuizotl. Korra leaped up and kicked the creature straight in the face, causing him to land hard on a rock. Korra rubbed her fists together as Rainbow Dash rushed over to help Daring Do. Ahuizotl was done playing games, it was time to pull out the big guns. While she wasn't looking, Ahuizotl's tail-hand grabbed Rainbow Dash's tail and he held her close. Daring and Korra attempted to save her, but were stopped when he took out a pocket knife, which he had grabbed from Caballeron's pocket.

"One more move, and your friend here looses her head!"

Rainbow struggled in his grip, Daring and Korra hesitated. There was no way the Avatar was going to let her friend get hurt, and Daring…she honestly couldn't allow an innocent pony suffer. But before she could make a choice, the cats jumped up on the two, while the others maintained their position, in fear Ahuizotl might hurt Rainbow Dash. The cats had tied up Daring and Ahuizotl released Rainbow Dash by tossing her to Korra, who caught her in her arms.

"Pleasure doing business with you all."

"Don't worry, Daring Do! I'll come help you!" Rainbow said, right before Ahuizotl whipped the two away with a swing of his powerful tail, which could grow longer at his will, and did the same to the others. They landed hard on the ground.

"Don't bother!" Daring said as the cast carried her away, and Ahuizotl now had the final ring. "I'd say you've already helped plenty."

The poor pony watched in despair as her hero was taken away.

(~)

It didn't take long for the sun to rise up. The crew rode on Naga the whole night, trying to find the location of the temple where Ahuizotl took Daring Do. They had Caballeron and his henchponies lead the way, while Naga growled at them and their necks were all linked by a rope, held by Korra.

"How much longer to the temple?" The Avatar asked. When the male pony did not answer, she yank don the rope.

"Alright! It's just a few miles up ahead. We should be there in about an hour."

"You better be telling the truth Caballeron. You wouldn't want to be my polar-bear dog's midday snack, now would you?"

Naga growled at the pony who began to sweat and gulp in fear, "Um, message received, Señorita Korra."

But while everyone was focused on the task at hand, Rainbow Dash was depressed. She felt so guilty for having allowed Daring to get captured. If she had seen Ahuizotl's tail she wouldn't have gotten captured.

"Rainbow Dash, you okay?" Asami asked with concern.

"No. Daring Do and the ring have been captured by the dreaded Ahuizotl, and it's all my fault."

"It wasn't your fault, Dash." Korra said compassionately, "Ahuizotl got the best of all of us. But we will stop him and save Daring."

"Whatever. Let's just go home."

To everyone's surprise, Rainbow began to walk away in the opposite direction, forcing Korra to stop Naga in her tracks.

"We can't go back now!" said Applejack, "Looks a mite like she needs our help more than ever!"

"Trying to help is how I got in this mess in the first place. If I had seen Ahuizotl's tail or if I hadn't been so desperate to get my hooves on the new book…" she sighed and turned away, "You guys were right. We should've stayed out of this."

Twilight, Mako and Korra looked at one another and then back at Rainbow Dash. They were the ones who said it was best to leave Daring, or A.K. Yearling as they thought previously, alone. But now they knew they couldn't abandon her. Twilight walked up to Rainbow in an attempt to lift up her spirits.

"Look, there is more going on here than meets the eye. In every Daring Do book, there always is! We can't turn our backs on her!"

"She doesn't want my help, Twilight."

"Perhaps. But she might need it anyway."

"No. My hero's way better off without me."

The rest of the team approached her too, while Naga kept a watchful eye on the henchponies.

"This don't sound like you." said Applejack.

Pinkie Pie jumped up and hugged Rainbow's neck, "Where's the Rainbow Dash who would help anypony at the drop of a hat?"

"Or pith helmet, as the case may be." said Rarity.

Rainbow Dash gently shoved Pinkie Pie aside, "She's here where she's got no business being. She should be at home."

Asami approached Rainbow Dash, petting her head sympathetically, "It's fine to look up to Daring Do, but I think you've put her so high up on a pedestal, you can't even see your own worth anymore."

Korra approached them and squatted down to Rainbow's level, "She's in the fortress, and we're here, and we wouldn't be who we are if we didn't go in after her! And neither would you. So, are you with us, or not?"

Rainbow looked up at the clear confident blue eyes of the Avatar as she smiled at her pony friend. Even Mako showed her compassion, along with Bolin and all the others. Caballeron and his henchponies rolled their eyes, until Naga growled at them, forcing them to fearfully smile and nod their heads in agreement.

"You guys really think I can do this?" Rainbow asked.

"I have no doubt." Korra said with a wink.

It was then, Rainbow knew what she needed to do.

(~)

It wasn't anything new for Daring to get captured, she's escaped worse. Once with a broken wing. Her four hooves were chained to a stone wall underneath the temple where Ahuizotl prepared to place the remaining rings for his evil plan. Bellow her was a salt water pool and to make maters even worse, the water was filled with piranhas.

"Surrender now, Ahuizotl, or I'll be forced to take you down!" Daring grunted as she tried to break free of the cans.

Ahuizotl appeared from an opening on the wall and laughed at her expense, "Oh, Daring Do, I will so miss your amusing laughter-jokes. Now, I must leave to commence the ring-placing ceremony to unleash eight hundred years of unrelenting, sweltering heat!"

He pulled on a cord as more water came in through a large pipe hole, causing the waters to rise up. And the piranhas were hungry. Daring pulled with al of her might and finally managed to removed her cuffed hoof from the stone wall, but it was heavy due to the metal shackle around it. She broke her other leg free, only to increase her weight with now tow metal shackles, added with the bits of stone still attached to them. She managed to free her front hooves, and her last one, but the water was already so close. Once she was free, she tried to flap her wings, but the weight of the shackles and stone weighed her down. She could feel the water at the tip of her hooves and a piranha came right at her.

"Gotcha!"

Daring was amazed when Rainbow Dash flew on by and lifted her up. She grunted at the weight Daring carried along with her.

"You can flap too, y'know!"

Daring did as Rainbow requested and flapped her wings. Once they made it safely to the entrance on the wall, Daring broke the stone and her shackles. "I was just about to save myself, y'know." she said before shaking the dust off of her body.

"Of course. I just thought you might need this." Rainbow tossed Daring her pith helmet. Daring was kind of surprised that Rainbow would return her most prized possession, but she was still not convinced.

"Have I mentioned yet that I work alone?"

"Have I mentioned yet that you're lucky I don't?"

Daring sighed, "You don't give up do you?"

"Nah," Rainbow said smugly, "It's so not me."

As much as the pegasus pony still believed it was best to work by herself, she figured she should allow this pony to at least tag along. She did save her life after all, and even if she wouldn't say it out loud, maybe it was a good thing she did.

(~)

Ahuizotl laughed as he sat on his throne within the Aztec temple. A group of native ponies rose up their spears and tapped on the floor and a rhythmic tune. The ponies were all male, wearing Aztec-like headsets, necklaces and face paint. In front of Ahuizotl stood a tall obelisk with the rings adorned around it, stacked by largest at the bottom and smallest at the top. But just as the final ring was about to be placed, Applejack called out to him.

"Drop the ring, Ahui... whatever your name is!"

Team Avatar and the Mane Six leaped into action but Ahuizotl called out to his minions, "Place the ring, quickly!"

Pinkie Pie, with a fierce look on her face, airbended herself upwards and knocked two Aztec ponies down. She spun the first ring around her waist like a hul-la-hoop before tossing it to Bolin who caught it in his hand.

"Get it!"

At Ahuizotl's command, the ponies lunged at Bolin, who tossed the ring over to Applejack, who leaped up to retrieve it. But another Aztec pony caused her to trip and drop the ring. He took it in his mouth until Asami rushed on by and snatched it with ease.

"Thank you!"

She was halted by another duo of ponies and tossed the ring up, which Fluttershy caught. As Ahuizotl chased Fluttershy, he felt his tail suddenly ache in pain. His tail had caught fire, curtesy of Mako, who smiled proudly at his victory.

Fluttershy tossed the ring over to Twilight who caught it with her horn. She saw two more ponies coming at her and she teleported away, causing them to collide against one another. While the rest were busy keeping the Aztec ponies and Ahuizotl distracted, Rainbow Dash and Daring rushed to the obelisk.

"Help me get all these rings off!" said Daring.

Rainbow grunted as the two worked together to get the rings out. They managed to lift up three rings in one, but they certainly were heavy. While they did this, the Mane Six and Team Avatar kept on trying to keep the ring away from the ponies. Applejack stomped her hooves, causing a piece of the earth to rise up and toss a pony away, allowing Korra to get the ring. The Avatar stomped her foot on the ground and earthbender various streams of earth underneath the ponies, causing them all to fall to the ground. But despite this, they were still persistent.

Daring and Rainbow continued removing the rings, but there were far too many. "If we can remove the giant ring at the bottom, the whole fortress will collapse!" said Daring.

"W-Was this your plan all along?"

"I had to find a way to get into the fortress."

"You did it on purpose?! But– but I thought—"

"I didn't count on you and your friends putting up much of a fight though, or how heavy this ring would be... Guess having a little help can be handy sometimes."

Rainbow smiled, her hero did appreciate her help after all.

The keep away game continued on, these ponies were stronger than they appeared, counting how bulky their bodies were. When one of the ponies dropped the ring, it flew up, only to be captured by Ahuizotl. But his victory was cut short for the two winged ponies were near the removal of the third ring. The fortress began to shake and crumble at the seems.

"Stop her!" he ordered his minions.

Daring and Rainbow were both so close, using all of their strength to lift up the ring. The Aztec ponies tried attacking them with their spears, for which daring tried kicking away. "You can flap too, y'know!" said Daring.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as hard as she could just as the ring was nearly out, "Everyone! Run! This place is goin' down!"

The team obeyed her order and ran out of the temple just as the ring was fully out of the obelisk, which began to crack and tumble just like the fortress. Daring and Rainbow flew out from an opening on the celling as everything went down. Ahuizotl tried to grab them but it was too late, his fortress went down, and so did he.

Everyone made it out of the fortress unharmed while Daring and Rainbow flew out with the final ring.

"They did it!" Korra exclaimed and jumped up for joy, "Whooho!"

The temple was in shambles, the Aztec ponies were dazed from the impact while Ahuizotl rose up from the shambles, "Daring Do! I will have my revenge!"

(~)

Once all was clear, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do released the final ring, allowing it to smash to pieces once it hit the ground. Daring smiled proudly at her work. But then, she realized, she didn't do this all on her own. With a guilty expression, the adventure pony lowered down, facing the others. She removed her hat, placing it over her heart as Rainbow landed beside her friends.

"I want to say…I'm sorry. I was wrong, about all of you. You truly are great adventurers."

Team Avatar and the Mane Six smiled in gratitude at Darin's kind words. "We're sorry for going into our home uninvited." Korra confessed.

"Actually, I'm glad you did. I guess, sometimes, on very rare occasions, it's okay to meddle in someone's life…sometimes."

The team laughed along with Daring and she approached Rainbow Dash, giving her a special thank you. "I especially want to thank you, Rainbow Dash. I couldn't have done this without you."

Rainbow couldn't contain herself and she lunged forward, embracing her hero in a hug. Hesitant at first, but Daring hugged Rainbow in return. But once she found out the pony wasn't letting she, she gently pushed her off.

"Well, it was nice meeting you all. I've got a book to finish!" Daring gave one final salute and flew off into the sunset like the hero she was, as everyone else waved goodbye.

"As thus, concludes another Daring Do adventure." Asami narrated, earning some skeptical glares from everyone. "What?"

"So, what are we going to do about these guys?" Bolin asked, pointing his finger at Caballeron and his henchponies, who were still being terrified by Naga.

Twilight smirked, "I'm sure Princess Celestia can find a fitting punishment for them.

(~)

Once they all returned home, Rainbow Dash decided to write down her own experience with Daring Do in the friendship journal.

"Just had the coolest adventure with the coolest pony ever. Came this close to blowing it because I got so wrapped up in how awesome she was, I almost forgot about how awesome I was. Good thing I didn't, 'cause it gave me a chance to show her how important it is to put your trust in somepony else. And in humans too."

She was interrupted by a knock on the door where a messenger pegasus pony handed her a package.

"Package from A.K. Yearling."

"Sweet! The new book a week before anypony else gets it!" she snatched the package and wasted no time in tearing it open. She inhaled from excitement.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!"

On the cover of the book was not only Daring Do, but also an image of Rainbow Dash…with her firebending. This would certainly be hew new favorite book.

Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny….featuring Rainbow Dash; The Pony on Fire.

(~)

"Well, not only did Rainbow Dash learn a valuable lesson, but it seems Daring Do did as well.

Hope you enjoyed this fine tale, tune in next week for another installment of…

"Tales of Equestria!"

Hope to see you soon."

Chapter 5–Power Ponies

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"I am the mystery

The shadow that wanders the night

I am the trouble you are not prepared for.

I am…

Chaos Man!!

Thun, then, then!

Nah, I'm just kidding. It's me, Discord. I'm just wearing a Super Hero costume (that looks like Robin boy wonder) because of today's story.

Which involves Super Heroes.

Now, some of you might be saying; "But aren't the Mane Six and Team Avatar already superheroes? Why, yes they are.

But, not all of them felt that way.

Sit back and listen as I tell you a tale of an unlikely hero who discovers you don't need superpowers…

To be Super."

(~)

Power Ponies

Twilight Sparkle was sound asleep, so asleep that she started to dream a wonderful dream. She was walking around a stunning meadow, filled with butterflies and singing bluebirds. But one very particular creature caught her eye.

He was tall, lean, and strong looking with a brightly colored orange coat, sleek and spiky blue hair, and a dazzling smile that made her heart melt. He approached her, the sun radiating around him, and he plucked a flower from the ground, placing it on her mane. She blushed and the two ponies nuzzled. She hoped she'd never wake up.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Sadly, she did. She awoke to the sound of her little dragon, who flipped through the pages of his comic book, clearly excited about what he was reading. The lamp beside him was on as well.

"Spike, you really need to go to sleep!"

The little dragon was reading a comic book on his backer bed, "Aw, two more minutes, Twilight! I'm just getting to the really good part! The Mane-iac is about to—"

" "The Mane-iac"?" Twilight asked, curiously.

"The Power Ponies' most evil nemesis!" Spike jumped onto the bed and showed Twilight the picture of the comic book of how the Mane-iac came to be.

"She was the power-mad owner of a hair-care product company. A tragic accident at her shampoo factory in Maretropolis not only gave her mane strange new powers but also caused her to go completely insane!" he said the last part in a dramatic tone, added with comical eyes. "She and her henchponies are planning to break into the Maretropolis Museum and steal the Electro-Orb, so she can use it to power up her doomsday device! Of course, the Mane-iac wouldn't have even known if Hum Drum hadn't slipped up and told her all about it."

"Hum Drum?"

"Nah, the guy in the blue boots and pointless red cape. The Power Ponies' bumbling and useless sidekick. The Power Ponies have to stop the Mane-iac or Maretropolis is doo-hoo-hoo-hoomed!" he said, once again, in a dramatic tone while shouting out to the sky. But Twilight really needed to get back to sleep.

"Believe me, Spike. If anypony understands what it's like to get caught up in a really good book, it's me. But if we're going to make any progress fixing up Luna and Celestia's old castle tomorrow, we all have to do our part. We don't want to be too tired to lend a hoof... or claw…or hands in Team Avatar's case."

Spike looked sadly at his comic and sadly complied, "Okay, okay, I'm going to bed. Goodnight." he turned off the light and covered himself in his blanket.

However, Twilight noticed his claw sticking out, trying to grab the comic book. She levitated it away, only to be bombarded by the adorable pleading eyes of her little dragon.

"Two more minutes."

"Yes!" quickly turned on the light and continued reading his book. He wished he could be a hero like the Power Ponies.

Little did he know, that wish was about to come true….sooner than he thought.

(~)

The next day, Team Avatar and the Mane Six gathered at the old castle, while it was still daylight, and got started on cleaning the place. This time, they would make sure not to be afraid of anything.

"Looking good, everypony!" Twilight said as she stood at the center of the room, "And everybody. Let's keep this magical makeover moving!"

"You got it!" said Rainbow Dash as she and Fluttershy worked together to adjust the fabric on the walls. Mako and Bolin assisted with the heavy lifting while Applejack adjusted a painting while Pinkie Pie was scatting on the floor with wash brushes strapped to her hooves, soaping the floors.

Spike walked up to Twilight, "Good old Spike is here, ready to do his part!" but he quickly found that everyone was fine on their own.

Korra and Asami worked on re-painting. As Korra painted, a few drops of paint from her brush landed on Asami's nose.

"Hey!"

Korra tried her best to hide her giggles, "Sorry, Asami." she meant it, even if the scene was a bit funny. The paint made it look like she had cat whiskers.

But the heiress was not going to take it so likely, "No, I'm sorry." she flicked her brush, making bits of paint land on Korra's face and clothes, making it look like she had chicken pocks. Korra would be lying if she wasn't tempted to start a splash fight with the raven-haired girl, just to show her who was boss. But she tried to keep her composure and simply laughed it off, not wanting to make the heiress angry. Not with all she has been through.

"You got me. Good one."

Asami was rather surprised. In a way, she was kind of trying to get a rise out of Korra. But, seeing her trying to be such a good sport, she didn't know if to feel touched that she was trying to be friends despite the whole "Mako" situation from before, or be jealous that she was being so sweet while Asami was still struggling a bit with leftover jealousy. She didn't hate Korra, how could she after she allowed her to stay at the island when her father betrayed her, but she still had trouble adjusting to seeing her with Mako. She wanted to let the past go, but for her, it was going to take a bit more time. Especially when she still had some leftover feelings towards the fire bender.

Pinkie Pie 'skated' by Applejack, who was adjusting a painting of apples. "A little more to the left!" said Pinkie and Applejack did as she said, "No, the other left!" she said as she skated by again and Applejack adjusted it perfectly. Pinkie skated by again, "Awesome! That's perfect right where it is! On to the next painting!" she said quickly.

Spike approached Applejack, "You sure you don't need any help?"

"Nah, that's okay."

Pinkie Pie then skated right over Korra and Asami, cleaning up their paint, and even making their hair shiny in the process, "We have everything under control!" Pinkie said quickly as she scrubbed the walls.

Spike looked up at the rainbow pegasus, "Dash?"

"I'm good!"

The dragon turned to the two boys, who were adjusting an alicorn statue, "Mako, Bolin?"

"We've got it covered, little buddy." said the earthbender, making the dragon feel even more upset.

"Isn't there anything I can help you with, Twilight?"

Pinkie Pie passed by, soaping the floors, once again speaking quickly, "Don't worry about it, Spike! It's all good!"

"I think she's right." said Twilight, "It looks like we've got it, Spike. Looking great, everybody!"

Spike then walked up to Korra and Asami, "Need any help with that?" he asked hopefully, "I can help with the hard to reach…places…" he lowered his ears when he saw Korra use her airbending to speed up painting the upper part of the wall.

"Did you say something Spike?"

The dragon lowered his shoulders and his ears in sadness, "Never mind."

Twilight approached her distressed assistant, "Why don't you find a quiet spot and finish reading your comic?" she levitated the rolled-up book from his backpack, "Aren't you right at the part where Hum Drum was about to stop the villain?"

Spike frowned, "Hum Drum never stops the villain. He's just there for comic relief." he felt his foot suddenly get wet, only to realize he had stepped on a water bucket, much to his annoyance. He struggled to remove the bucket from his leg when Twilight turned to her other friend.

"Rarity, let me give you a hoof with that!"

"I could do it!" Spike said, finally having gotten the bucket off.

"That's okay, Spike."

Pinkie Pie scatted across the floor on the soapy floor, shouting with glee; "Pony power! Weehee!!"

Spike sighed sadly…right when the bucket landed on his head.

(~)

Spike retreated to the room where she, Twilight, and Korra first found the Princesses' journal. He figured this was the best place for him since nopony else needed his help. He rested on a pillow on the floor and read the story out loud to himself, finding the page where he left off.

"Mane-iac breaks into the museum... Okay, here we go. …" he narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "Ugh, what a surprise! Hum Drum is in the way again while the Power Ponies do all the work! I guess I know what that feels like…" he sighed sadly. Then, he gasped in surprise at the next page.

Which was completely blank in the mid climax.

"Wait. What? How can that be the end?!" he flipped through the pages once more but there was no denying it. The book stopped midway. It made no sense to him. "What's… that?"

He noticed that there was writing at the lower corner of the white page. "You can... retr-" What? "You can... return..." Urgh!" the words were too small for him to read. "I know I saw a magnifying glass laying around the last time I was here…" he stood up and searched for the object.

Meanwhile, the Mane Six and Team Avatar were walking down the hallway, searching for their little dragon. "Spike! Where are ya, Spike?" Applejack called out.

"We're breaking for tea and biscuits!" Rarity said sweetly.

"Bolin brought your favorite dumplings!" Asami called out.

Korra abruptly stopped the moment she heard a strange ringing sound in her ears. She groaned and shook her head, trying to shake the sound off as she continued forward. Something felt off

(~)

Spike finally found the magnifying glass and read the words while his friends continued to call out his name. "Okay, let's see." he read the words out loud. "You can return to the place you started when the Mane-iac is... defeated." Huh?"

(~)

The friends were close approaching where Spike was, but Korra heard that sound again. Mako noticed this as did Fluttershy.

"Korra? You okay?" he asked.

"I don't know. I feel kind of…weird." she clapped her hands over her ears, "What's that buzzing sound? You guys hear that?"

"I don't hear anything," said Fluttershy once they reached the library where the room Spike was in was located. The dragon read the last part of the book.

"Take a closer look to join the adventure in this book"? What does that even mean?" to answer his question, the comic book suddenly started to glow a bright white. "Whoa! Cool!"

Once the group arrived, they saw what was happening. twilight reacted quickly, "Spike! What are you—"

Spike suddenly felt a powerful force start to drag him closer and closer to the book…and into it!

"Heeeeeelp!"

"Spike!"

Twilight quickly rushed to pull Spike away from the book, but she felt it pulling her in as well. Rainbow rushed over and tried to pull Twilight back. Fluttershy did the same, followed by Rarity, then Applejack, Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami. But no matter how hard they tried, the powerful mysterious force was far too powerful for them to fight. Humans and ponies screamed once they were all forcibly sucked into the comic book. Pinkie Pie hoped along and cannon balled into it.

"Weehee!"

(~)

Spike groaned as he woke up. He studied his surroundings, amazed to find it was nighttime all of a sudden. Not only that, but there were tall city buildings towering overhead.

"Hu? How did I get to Republic City." but as he looked much closer, he realized this was not the land of humans, "Wait a minute." he noticed he was standing on a city rooftop and looked down bellow. The land was indeed a modern city, but populated by ponies.

"Is this... Maretropolis?" It couldn't be. It looked exactly like in his comic book. How was this possible?

"Somepony wanna tell me what the hay is goin' on?" Applejack's voice was heard and Spike spun round, gasping in awe.

"Holy new personas!"

Each of the Mane Six stood before Spike, but they looked…different.

Twilight Sparkle was now wearing a dark magenta full body suit with a light blue platting with a high collar, pale violet books with symbols of the star from her cutie mark on them with straps, goggles over her eyes with yellow outlines and a silvery metal-tube-like thing over her horn, styled identical to her horn. Her hair was swept up.

"You're the... Masked Matter-Horn!"

Pinkie Pie wore a full body suit of white and purple, looking like arrows and balloon outlined on her hooves. Her hair was styled back with a bit of it sticking our of the suite that was open around her face and ears. Her tail was still puffy but also has a somewhat lightning look to it as well.

"Fili-Second!"

Rainbow Dash wore a black suit, with white boots, styled with lightning bolts on the top, and had a headset that matched the suit with white outlines and a lightning symbol on the side of her face. Her mane was styled similar to a mow-hawk and carried a lightning bolt necklace around her neck.

"Zapp!"

Rarity admired her new suit, which was dark blue with a hight light blue collar and matching diamond prints around her outfit, a yellow broach with a violet diamond and similar diamond around her front ankles. She had an elegant blue mask and her mane was styled into a curled bun with the same diamonds from her bracelet and chest adorned her hair and tail.

"R-Radiance!"

Applejack wore a black, red and green body suit with a black ski mask, her hair and tail styled into long green ribbons and a saddle with a robe was on her back.

"Mistress Mare-velous!

Fluttershy walked out from behind Applejack, wearing an aqua green suit with a purple bandana around her neck, adorned with a flower and butterfly bracelets. Her hair was swept back, giving it a wind-blow look and wore a purple mask.

"Saddle Rager! You're the... Power Ponies!" he then turned his attention to the humans behind them, "And…I don't know who you guys are."

Amazingly, even Team Avatar got a super hero makeover.

Korra wore am outfit consisting of light blue and whites. It was a high collar full body suit, light blue in color and white outlines decorated into a snowflake pattern, added with a long transparent lace-like cape around her shoulders with a slim fur-trimming and diamond shaped belt. Her boots were in the shade of ice with a snowflake on the toes and had long fingerless blue gloves. Her hair was swept up and styled into a lose braid over her shoulder and a clear transparent mask over her eyes.

(this outfit is based on a mix of Elsa's look and a Korra/X-men outfit I saw on DeviantArt by tokyogirl0093)

Asami wore a tight fitting dark purple jumpsuit with long black gloves, matching boots and a belt with a gear belt buckle added with the same image on her chest with the collar of the suit painted black. Her hair was styled into hight ponytail.

Mako wore a black suit with a golden chest piece with what appeared to be some kind of wing symbol with a green stone. He wore golden armbands, matching belt and boots with black and yellow stripes.

Bolin wore a simple suite as well, primarily of black and green colors with a simple grey belt and matching boots.

"What the heck am I wearing?" Korra asked, studying her outfit which, as nice as it was, was very different than what she normally wore.

"Spike, care to explain what the heck is going on?" Mako demanded to know.

Before the little dragon could answer an explosion was heard from down bellow. Everyone peeked down to see what the commotion was all about. It appeared a museum was being robbed. The primary entrance was completely destroyed with smoke coming out from within. Then, to everyone's surprise, green colored tentacle-like things emerged, followed by a maniacal laugh.

"Power Ponies! How kind of you to join us!"

From the smoke emerged a tall looking mare with a face in similar shape of the alicorns, but her demeanor was anything but kind and wise. If anything, her green emerald eyes looked, dare they day it…insane!

The mare was purple in color with a magenta jumpsuit, with black and yellow colored boots, holding what appeared to be some kind of electric energy ball in her hooves. Her mane was long. Very, very, very, very long. And green completely and was alive! Her hair lifted her up as the rest began to wiggle and move like tentacles.

"Who's that?" Asami asked.

"It's the Mani-ac!" Spike exclaimed in shock.

"The who-niac?" Bolin asked, still confused.

"She's the super villain from my comic book!"

"How is that possible?" Twilight asked.

"Did she call us... Power Ponies?" Applejack asked, confused

Even Spike was shocked, and for good reason, "My comic book...It somehow zapped us all in here!"

"I've heard of 'getting into a book' but this is ridiculous." said Korra

"So somebody zap us back out!" said Rainbow Dash.

But Spike remembered the words he read at the end of the page back at the castle. "My comic book! It said the way to get back to where we started was to defeat the Mane-iac! Your arch-nemesis!"

Bolin, Mako and Asami blinked in uncertainty. "I'm still lost." said the heiress.

"Me too." said Bolin, "More than usual."

From down bellow, the pony with the crazy life mane, revealed as the Mane-iac, exclaimed at the heroes in a dramatic villainous voice, "Time for the mane event!" her mane extended forward, enwrapping around a nearby pretzel truck and lunged it towards the building the heroes stood on. Korra reacted quickly and extended her hand, subconsciously expecting something to come shooting out of her hands, being air or fire. But what did come out shocked everyone. Even Korra.

The truck that came at them had frozen in mid air, right before exploding. Korra looked down at her hands in shock. "Did…did I do that?"

The Mane-iac sneered at the new creature's powers. She did not know exactly who or what this girl was, and she didn't care. Her mane extended once more, its tentacles taking on a metal mailbox and hurled it at the building as well, this time being aimed at Pinkie Pie. Korra, who had just come back from her shock state, tried to do the same thing again but it was too late. The mailbox had hit Pinkie Pie, but the pony was gone.

"Pinkie! Where'd she go?!"

"Wheeeeeeee!"

Everyone heard their friend's happy cheers as she, literally, ran at supper speed all around the buildings, leaving behind a neon pink streak as she did, her body a total blur to the naked eye. Bolin's jaw dropped as he pointed at the speedy creature. "Okay, even Pinkie couldn't do that before."

Mako turned to the dragon, "Spike, if the comic zapped us all in here how did we get turned into, well this?"

The little dragon explained, "In my book, the Power Ponies are the super heroes who defeat the Mane-iac."

"A.K.A. Miss crazy hooves down there?" Korra said.

"Exactly! The magic turned you girls into the Power Ponies! Pinkie Pie is now Fili-Second, the fastest pony in all of Maretropolis!"

Applejack took out the rope that was on her saddle and used it tie up the Mane-iac, not realizing the rope glowed a bright yellow. The Mane-iac rushed out of the way and the lasso ended up wrapped around a lamp post. Applejack tugged to get it back but ended up being pulled by her mouth from the building and got tangled in her own rope, hanging upside down against the lamp post. The Mane-iac laughed at the country pony's expense.

Spike turned to the alicorn and the Avatar, "Twilight! Korra! Freeze her mane!"

"Do what?" Twilight asked.

"You're the Masked Matter-Horn! You can shoot all kinds of crazy power beams from your horn! And Korra, you have ice powers now!"

Korra's eyes widened in realization, "Oh yeah! Come on, Twilight!"

Twilight gave it a try, activating her now blue horn to use her new super powers while Korra tried to activate her new ice powers….which did not respond. For either of them.

"What? But--" Korra was confused, why didn't her powers work now?

Twilight lowered her ears in embarrassment when her ice beam didn't work.

Mane-iac's mane wrapped around the mysterious electric orb she had stolen, "You know, I'm beginning to enjoy this." she cackled.

Bolin then tried to earthbend the road from down bellow, but quickly realized he couldn't. "Hey! I can't bend!"

Mako attempted to firebend at the Mane-iac, but he too had lost his bending. "I can't either!" he exclaimed, already feeling helpless without his powers. The Mane-iac hurled another cart at them, this time Mako was pushed aside by Korra right before it hit him.

Rainbow Dash tried to firebend as well but she couldn't either, "I can't firebend!"

"You don't have to!" said Spike, "You're Zapp, and your superpower is controlling the mighty forces of nature! Unholster the lightning bolt!"

The cyan pegasus looked at the lightning bolt necklace around her neck and flew higher, using the necklace she called upon the storm clouds and before long lightning consumed the night sky. With her new powers, Rainbow accidentally created a tornado from the winds. However, because she still didn't know how to control her powers, the winds spun out of control which began to pull the others towards it as they tried to hold on to the building.

"Lightning, not a tornado!" Spike shouted as he held on for his dear life.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was still running around the place, now wearing bunny ears (for some reason), a scarf, funny glasses, a flag and a plate of cupcakes. She tried to stop herself when she saw the tornado but it was too late. Just like the power of the comic book, the team was sucked inside, screaming as they did and Pinkie Pie was sucked in as well.

"Whoa!"

One of Pinkie's cupcakes landed on Rainbow's face and she too was sucked inside the tornado she had created. As the friends screamed within the powerful winds, the Mane-iac used her hair as a hammock to watch the mayhem.

"Ha, ha, ha! I love this!"

The friend spun out of control within the tornado. "Rainbow, make this stop!" Asami shouted.

"I would if I could!"

Spike turned to the yellow pegasus, "Fluttershy! You're Saddle Rager! Lose your temper, and you'll turn into a huge, super-strong monster!"

"Oh, gosh! That wouldn't... be very... polite!"

Spike face palmed himself, "Ugh! Rarity! Use your jewelry to create attack constructs!"

Rarity looked curiously at her bracelets, "What's an attack construct?!"

"Just think of something, anything, and your bracelet makes it appear!"

The unicorn concentrated and, with her magical bracelets, she created a tea set, complete with a tea cup and teapot, all colored in a neon pink glow. The utensils shattered when they made contact with Spike.

"Something useful! Mako, Bolin, Asami, see if you can figure out your powers!"

Mako was the first to try and see what powers he had. He didn't know what to do exactly but he concentrated, trying his best to tap into any new ability inside of him. The only thing he did manage was to somehow create a pair of dragonfly-like wings that grew from his back. He found this to be useless in their scenario.

"Wings? That's it?!"

The tornado only spun around faster, hurling Spike against the wall of the destroyed museum. Once free he noticed the object the Mane-iac now possessed.

"The Electro-Orb!"

"Well, this has been quite the mane-raising experience." said the villain in a mocking tone, her eyes rolling like the insane pony she was, "But I really must be going."

While she wasn't looking, Spike reached out and took the orb, but before he could sneak away, he tripped and the Mane-iac took it once more in her tentacle mane.

"Why, thank you, Hum Drum!" she said as she left the scene, followed by evil laughter.

Spike looked at himself, taking noticed of the blue boots, gloves, belt, mask and red cape, which was what he had tripped on a few seconds ago. He couldn't believe it, of all the characters he could have been turned into, why did it have to be this one?

"I'm Hum Drum…?!"

While the tornado continued to spin, Korra tried to active her new powers, but they still didn't work. "Gah! I can't figure this out!" In her outburst, she unleashed an ice ray, which went flying out of the tornado and hit the ground. Spike jumped out of the way in time but the winds got hold of him as well. As he spun inside, he called to the orange country pony who was still tied up, struggling to break free.

"Applejack! You gotta... help stop the... tornado from destroying.. the city!"

"But every time I move, this darn lasso gets tighter!"

"You're psychically connected to it! Will it to where you want it to go, and it'll obey you!"

Applejack did as he said and focused on the rope. Just as expected, it listened to her thoughts and she was free. It was all up to her now. Using her new powers, Applejack tied up the tip of the tornado. The winds inside backed up before it eventually 'blew up' into this air, freeing everyone else.

The ponies and humans had managed to escape unharmed and Rarity managed to create an elegant force field around herself so she would land safely.

Pinkie Pie jumped and giggled, "That was spin-tastic!"

Bolin stood up straight, feeling woozy from the experience, "Good for you." he covered his mouth, feeling his food about to escape his mouth. He ran to a nearby garbage can and puked the food he had consumed before. Asami groaned and Korra extended her hand to help her stand up. The heiress dusted her jumpsuit.

"You okay?" Korra asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." was all she said. But Korra could hear a hint of hostility in her voice.

Applejack approached the dragon to get some answers, "Lemme get this straight: We've been sucked into some kind of comic-book world?"

"Technically, it's called Maretropolis." Spike corrected, "And if we wanna get back to Ponyville, I think we have to stop the Mane-iac from using her doomsday device to destroy it!"

"That still doesn't explain how me and the others got powers." Korra said, looking at her outfit, "Which I'm still having trouble controlling."

Spike tapped his chin in thought, "Maybe it's just like the way we kind of change proportions whenever we travel into each other's worlds. Since this is a super hero world, you guys must have gained powers to match the universe."

"Makes as much sense as anything else." Mako said, looking at the wings on his back, "So, what am I? Some kind of human sized mosquito, or something?"

"Well, you do know how to such the fun out of everything." said Bolin, earning a scorn from his big brother.

Twilight tried to gather the information they had on their new powers, "So, Korra has some kind of ice powers which, apparently, react to her emotions."

"What do you mean?" Korra asked.

"When Pinkie Pie was about to get hit by that mail box, you reacted to protect her."

Mako connected the dots as well, "That's right! And in the tornado, when Korra lost her patience, her powers activated too."

"So, whenever I'm feeling something my powers will respond to it?" she asked, looking at her hands.

Bolin jumped up, raising his hand, "Oh, oh, oh! What power do I have? Maybe I can shoot lasers from my eyes, or super strength, or super breath! Oh man, I wish Pabu were here to see this! That lovable little fire ferret."

Then, almost immediately, Bolin's body began to shift and change, turning into a green-colored version of his pet fire ferret. Everyone gasped in shock.

"What?"

"Bolin?" Asami looked at him, "You're…you're a green ferret!"

"What?!" he looked at his body and screamed in shook, "AHHHHHH!!! What happened?! Change me back, change me back!"

Immediately, his body did change back into his human self and he sighed in relief. That was when Mako made the connection. "Wait a second. Think of another animal. Any animal."

Bolin simply shrugged his shoulders and thought of another animal. This time, a monkey, for which he immediately turned into. His body was green in color, just like his eyes. Bolin thought of his human self and he once again turned human.

"Wow! I can turn into animals! Awesome!"

"What about Asami's powers?" Rainbow asked, until she noticed the heiress was no longer standing there, "Wait, where did Asami go?"

"I'm right here."

They heard her voice, but did not see Asami anywhere.

"Where?"

"I'm right in front of yo---AH!!"

"What?!" Korra and Mako asked in shock at her scream, before Asami spontaneously reappeared before their eyes. The heiress looked at her hands in complete shock.

"I turned invisible! I actually turned invisible!"

Twilight shook her head in disbelief, "Okay, so far, we've got an Invisible Woman, a Snow Queen, an Animal Guy, and…the Mosquito Man."

Mako narrowed his eyes at this. "That's not funny!"

Korra slightly giggled, "Well, the wings are kind of adorable."

"Come on, there's got to be something else I can do." he attempted to firebend again but found that he still couldn't. He growled in frustration at his lack of powers, "Come on, how is it that I can't--" suddenly, in a flash of light, Mako felt his body suddenly change. But it was not one he was happy with. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

The firebender was now flapping his wings like a dragon fly, only his body…was now the side of a chipmunk. Even his voice became higher due to his miniature size.

Bolin, Pinkie and Rainbow bursted out laughing at Mako's new smaller size, and high squeaky voice.

"It's not funny!" he protected, but his new voice made it hard for anyone to feel intimidated. Even Korra and Asami giggled at this.

Korra cleared her throat to try and ease his bitterness, "Well, it's not so bad." she said, "It's actually, pretty cute."

Mako narrowed his eyes and, as if by only wishing it, he returned to normal. As did his voice. "Great, I really am the Mosquito Man….super." he said bitterly.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," Korra began, "If we're going to get out of here, we need to stop that crazy octopus hair pony."

"The Mane-iac." Spike corrected.

"Whatever."

"No biggie." said Rainbow Dash, "I was already awesome. And now we've all got superpowers!"

Spike lowed downcast, "Almost all of us have superpowers…"

"Yeah, there's still Mako." Bolin said, right before earning a slap from Mako. "Ow!"

"But you must have them too, Spikey-boo." Rarity said, creating a cane-like object with her magic bracelets to lift up his red cape, "Your character is wearing a cape!"

"Yeah, for absolutely no reason. He's pretty much useless…"

Feeling empathy for the little one, Twilight and Korra placed a hand and hoof on his shoulders. "Good thing you're not really Hum Drum, then." said Twilight.

"Exactly." Korra agreed, "You're Spike. The bravest little dragon, ever." she lovingly took him into her arms like she always did and hugged him tightly, showing him all the love and effecting he deserved. He was feeling better already.

Rainbow Dash landed alongside the others, "So the six of us Power Ponies and four super humans will take care of Mane-iac, and get us back to Ponyville!"

"Spike, where is the Mane-iac building her doomsday device?" Twilight asked.

"Her top-secret headquarters! But you'd better get there quick. That glowing orb she just stole is what she's going to use to power it up!"

"Lead the way, Spike!" said Bolin

"Then leave the rest to us!" said Rainbow Dash, earning a somewhat stern glare from Asami. Even in a superhero world, Rainbow had a big ego.

(~)

"So, the Mane-iac's top secret headquarters is….a shampoo factory?" Korra arched an eyebrow when she saw the building up close. She then shrugged her shoulders, "Eh, makes sense."

It was time for action, and as the leader she was, Twilight spoke up, "Alright, Power Ponies, here's the plan. Rarity, you, me and—" before she could continue, a certain rainbow pegasus was already making her first move.

"Come on out, Mane-iac! Or the Power Ponies are comin' in!" with her necklace, she created lightning storms which caused the neon sign on the building to lose its power from a ray of lightning. Twilight sighed in annoyance.

"So much for "element of surprise"." she said before walking froward.

"I'm surprised." said Korra, "Surprised I didn't think of it first."

As the others walked on ahead, Spike remained in his place, "Guess I'll just hang back here doing nothing." he said sadly.

At the sight of the building, Fluttershy was already trembling. "Oh, I don't think she's home. Maybe we should just come back later." the pony flinched, her eyes widening, when she heard the maniacal laughter being heard from inside.

"She's home." Rarity said, somewhat fearfully.

The large door of the building slid open, to reveal a group of male ponies, all wearing stylish clothing and strange styled manes with obviously too much hair product, similar to Tahno from the wold bats.

"Time to Power Pony up!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Ooh! Nice catchphrase!" Pinkie said while rapidly galloping in place. The ponies aimed to attack and Twilight tried to use her powers again.

"Freeze ray!"

Her horn glowed, but all that came out was a snowball that stroked the pony in the face. He shook it off before galloping at her again, but this time he was knocked down by an even bigger snow ball, curtesy of Korra.

"It's an improvement, Twily." the Avatar said to her friend.

Another pony aimed at Applejack, who used her horse shoe boomerangs to clap the pony's hooves together, causing him to slip and fall.

Bolin transformed into a lion, roaring at a trio of henchponies, who screamed like little girls before galloping away. Bolin shifted back and jumped up in victory.

"Oh yeah! I am the champion, and you're gonna hear me ROAR!!!"

Mako shrunk himself and flew around the ponies, sticking his tongue out at them in order for them to chase him. They did just that but Mako had a plan. The ponies suddenly felt something punch them, but they did not see anypony anywhere. They felt even more punches and kicks coming from nobody in particular and were even tossed in mid air by an invisible force. Asami manifested herself, cleaning her hands, smiling proudly at her work, giving tiny Mako a little high five, or high one finger in her case.

Pinkie Pie ate another cupcake when another henchpony came at her. She speeded away and reappeared behind him and tapped his back. He turned but she speeded away. She continued this game until she hit him in the face with a pie.

Rarity used her bracelets to wrap the remaining pony on the floor. But another henchpony on the top of the building kicked on the damaged neon sign, and Rarity instinctively created a giant umbrella to propel the sign, which slung back and hit the building, causing the henchpony to hide.

"Ooh, I do so love a functional accessory!" she smiled at her bracelets.

Fluttershy whimpered when a pony came running at her, only to be stopped by lightning. "My hair!" he cried out and ran off, his hair burned into a crisp.

Rainbow Dash lowered down near Fluttershy, "Seriously? You aren't even just a little angry right now?"

Fluttershy simply shook her head in 'no'.

"Nice work, Power Ponies!" Twilight said strongly, all of them having apprehended the henchponies successfully, "Now let's take care of the Mane-iac and get ourselves home!"

"I don't think so!"

The Mane-iac reappeared, her long green hair extending her upwards. "I have a city to destroy, and I'm not about to let the Power Ponies and some two legged creatures stop me! Not this time!"

"This time?" Bolin asked, "We weren't here last time."

"Just watch us, Captain Crazy!" Korra exclaimed, ready to attack with her powers while Rainbow Dash aimed directly at her.

But the Mane-iac had her own plans as well. In her tentacles, she held up a large can of hair spray. Spike knew what this weapon was, and it was far more dangerous than it appeared.

"The Hairspray Ray of Doom! It stops you in your tracks and renders your powers useless!"

As Rainbow readied for an attack, the Mane-iac sprayed her and the pegasus pony froze in mid air, landing on the ground. Korra rushed to her aid.

"Rainbow!"

Seeing their friend in distress, the others narrowed their eyes at the enemy. "We'll just see about that!" Rarity said boldly.

The Power Ponies and Team Avatar aimed to attack, using their powers to fight the villain. However, she was smarter than she seemed and, in one final swoop, she sprayed them all with her can, rendering them both powerless and useless as they all stood frozen in place.

"Maybe we should have thought this one through." Bolin said.

"Ya think?" Asami said sarcastically.

The Mane-iac laughed in triumph as her henchponies celebrated alongside with her. Fluttershy was hiding behind a mailbox while Spike peaked out from inside the metal container.

"Fluttershy, please! Just a little anger?" Spike said.

"Well, I'm not so much angry as I am concerned, bordering on terrified!"

Fluttershy suddenly saw a patch of smoke consume her and she could no longer move her body. The Mane-iac had sprayed her with her enormous can. She took the Saddle Ranger away and prepared to spray the little dragon sidekick.

"Don't spray!" he begged.

Mane-iac cackled, "Oh, Hum Drum, why in all of Maretropolis would I use the Hairspray Ray of Doom on you? Rather pointless, don't you think?"

The Power Ponies and Team Avatar cried out to their friend for help, all now completely useless without their powers and frozen in place, being dragged away by the henchponies into the factory and the door slammed.

Spike got out of the mailbox but, as fate would have it, he got his foot stuck in a bucket…again. It was no use now, he had failed his friends.

(~)

The heroes were still frozen, only now they were both frozen and stuck inside a metal cage. Korra grunted as she tried to move her limbs but the hairspray certainly was powerful. Even so, she refused to give up. Her eyes narrowed at the Mane-iac.

"You won't get away with this!" she exclaimed.

The Mane-iac used her hair to lift herself up to the cage, her crazy eyes scanning both the Avatar and the Future Industries heiress. Primarily their hair. Her long mane-tentacles reached out as the Mane-iac inspected both their raven black and dark chocolate brown locks.

"Mmm, such lovely hair. I remember how my mane use to be this elegant and silky." Korra and Asami felt their skin crawl at the feel of having the hairy tentacles around them. "It would be such a shame if it were to be…cut off!"

"Not my hair!" Asami exclaimed automatically, earning some pretty surprised looks from the group. The heiress blushed in embarrassment. While Asami was never vain or obsessed with beauty, she did like pampering her hair. After all, brushing her hair was her late mother's favorite past time, so she swore she would never cut it short for that reason alone.

The Mane-iac laughed at this, "Don't worry, Power Ponies, and friends, soon all of Maretropolis will bow down before me!" she laughed maniacally as she left the heroes within the cage.

"That laugh is getting seriously annoying." said Rainbow Dash.

"Are you okay, Asami?" Fluttershy asked. Asami was still blushing from the embarrassment of her reaction.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed, darling." said Rarity, "I know exactly how you feel. I would die if anyone had cut off my mane!"

"It's not that." Asami confessed, her eyes looking down in sadness, "It's just…when I was little, my mom and I would sit together and do each other's hair. It was one of our favorite past times together." the others were quite amazed by this new information.

"Really?" Bolin asked first, finding himself intrigued by this.

"I guess that's why you always see my hair so manageable. When I brush it…it reminds me of my mom."

"I had no idea." Mako said, equally amazed, and feeling empathy for her. "Why didn't you ever tell us about it?"

"I don't know. I guess I never found a reason to before. So, I guess now's a good as time as ever, seeing as we're probably not going to get out of here."

Korra scoffed, "Seriously? That doesn't sound like you, Sato."

"Excuse me?" Asami felt somewhat insulted at the bold remark.

"You're forgetting, Spike is gonna get us out of here." she said confidently.

"You sure about that?" Mako asked, "Not that I don't care about the little guy but, he hasn't really been the strongest one of the bunch."

"Have a little faith in him, Mako." Korra said with a smile, "I do."

As usual, the spunky Avatar never stopped to amaze him. The amount of trust she had on that little dragon was truly remarkable. Maybe he should have more faith as well. Korra then turned to the heiress.

"And Asami…thanks for sharing with us."

For the first time all day, Asami smiled at the Avatar. Despite her still leftover jealousy, Korra was still trying to be a good friend. Maybe she was a much bigger person than Asami was.

(~)

As for Spike, he managed to find a way into the factory through an air duct, but even now he was still second guessing himself.

"What am I supposed to do? I'm useless. No wonder my friends never need me to do anything important.They're the ones with superpowers. They've probably already figured out how to escape."

He then felt the weight of the duct give way and he landed on the catwalk of the factory. He leaned against the railing and spotted his friends in the cage.

"Or not!"

Inside, Twilight felt the feeling slowly return to her leg, allowing it to move only a little bit. A henchpony, who was reading a newspaper, heard the timer go off and sprayed the heroes once more, causing them to remain frozen.

"This is gonna get really old really fast." said Bolin.

Spike crawled on the catwalk, preventing himself from getting noticed, and looked down witnessing the large buckets of glowing green and purple liquids which moved inside these tubes that connected to the buckets. The Mane-iac's already annoying laughter was heard as she used her mane to move herself. A variety of her henchponies stood before something that was covered by a long red blanket.

"Congratulations, Power Ponies! You shall live just long enough to see me fire... the instrument of your destruction!"

As she cackled, a henchpony removed the blanket to reveal a large hair dryer-like cannon with a seat for the Mane-iac to control from, and was aimed at an open window of the factory. This was her doomsday devise. Using her mane, the villain placed the electric orb into the generator of the machine.

"Once the Electro-Orb has powered it up completely, this cannon will amplify the power of my mane one million times, expelling an energy blast that will cause everypony in Maretropolis's mane to grow wild! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! You will be my weapon's first victims, and there is nopony who can save you from this fate! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

The Mane-iac moved her cannon, aiming it directly at the heroes. Fluttershy cleared her throat, getting the Mane-iac's attention. "Ahem. I don't mean to interrupt, but aren't you forgetting about somepony?"

"Hum Drum? Little guy? No superpowers whatsoever? Ha, ha, ha, ha! He's utterly useless!"

"No he's not!" Korra said confidently, catching both the Mane-iac's and Spike's attention. "Spike— uh, Hum Drum maybe be short and clumsy--

"Don't forget snarky!" said Bolin with a grin.

Korra rolled her eyes, "But, no matter what happens, he always comes through when we need him. Always!"

But the Mane-iac simply mocked this as she walked on the top of her cannon. "Puh-lease. Everypony knows you just keep him around because you feel sowwy for him. Wah. Wah."

"Maybe in your world." said Twilight, "But in our world, he's our hero!"

The others all cheered in agreement and Spike felt tears swell up in his eyes. They believed in him so strongly even when he messed up. It was then he decided not to think so low of himself.

"I'm not like Hum Drum!" he said with new confidence, "When my friends really need me, I do come through! And they need me now!" Spike looked down at the doomsday device, eying the energy orb, and he grinned. A plan forming in his head.

"I see dementia must be a side-effect of prolonged exposure to the Hairspray Ray of Doom." The Mane-iac said laughing and turned to her henchponies, "Tonight, we stand upon the brink of immortality, for we collectively – though, mostly me – have finally defeated our most hated nemeses!"

As she continued her rant, Mako noticed a certain little green and purple figure quietly approach the doomsday machine. The firebender smiled and signaled to Korra, "Psst." nodding his head, Korra's eyes caught sigh of the little dragon was, apparently, taking his plan into action. The two smiled proudly at their little Hum Drum.

Spike took the edge of the red curtain that was over the cannon, finding that it had curtain hole punctures, and placed them on a hook, connected to a chain hanging from the catwalk and continued this on with the rest of the curtain while the Mane-aic continued her dramatic villain speech.

"We have hurled the brush of badness into the now fearful face of, ha, ha, ha, goodness, and have struck a blow for freedom in the name of oppression! And nothing will stop us!"

With all of his might, Spike pushed the large wooden box, which was where all of the long chains were connected to, and pushed it over the catwalk, activating the trap he had set for the henchponies. The chains pulled on the red curtain, entrapping the ponies who now all hung in mid air within the red fabric.

The henchpony who was guarding the heroes witnessed Spike swinging at him on a chain and kicked him, causing the pony to collied with the large hair spray can, consequently activating it and causing the rest of the henchponies, who didn't get captured in Spike's trap, to freeze in place.

"Way to go, Spike!" Twilight called out, having finally gotten the feeling back in her legs. One by one, the team could feel their bodies returning to normal and prepared for action. Rarity used her bracelets to create a giant nail filler to break them all free, much to the Mane-iac's shock and dismay and Korra smiled cockily at her.

"See? Told ya!"

Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy, "Get mad!"

"I'm trying!" Fluttershy tried to get herself mad, but nothing was doing the trick.

None the less, the ponies and Team Avatar leaped into action! Rainbow and Twilight flew out, Korra created and ice bridge for her to slide down on, Rarity created a pair of stairs and elegantly galloped down, Pinkie Pie speeded away, Bolin turned into an eagle, Asami leaped down with Applejack while Mako shrunk himself and flew out.

Pinkie Pie speeded at the henchponies, shouting with joy: "Tag you're it! Tag you're it! Tag you're it! Tag you're it!" she was too fast for the henchponies to catch.

"Over there!" the Mane-iac ordered, "There! There! Idiots!"

Mako flew around the henchponies, his dragonfly wings flapping as he rapidly flew all over the place, making the henchponies end up colliding with one another in their attempts to catch him. The young man smiled in triumph until he spotted Korra unleashing her ice at the ponies. One of them appeared on the catwalk and leaped from above without her knowing.

"Korra look out!"

Mako quickly got in between, his body changing back to normal, and from his hands, he unleashed what appeared to be some form of yellow electric energy, which literally shocked the pony and he landed on the ground, dazed and crispy. Mako blinked in surprise at what he just did. Korra surprised him even more when she hugged him from behind.

"My hero!" she rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek, making him blush.

More henchponies came at Twilight, but this time she used her ice beam to freeze the floor underneath them. They slipped and fell on the ice or against the walls.

Bolin shifted into various animals, shaking the ponies away with all of his might. He transformed into a lion, a rhino, an eagle and even an octopus, enwrapping the ponies in his tentacles.

Rainbow Dash's eyes glowed white, using her thunder bolt necklace, she summoned another thunder storm and formed a tornado, entrapping the henchponies within it.

"Need a place to put these guys!" said the pegasus.

Rarity, who was staking like a ballerina in her new skates, created by the bracelets, formed three gigantic bird cages where Rainbow's tornado placed the ponies within.

Some of the ponies even tried to escape through the door, but they began to suddenly close on their own. The ponies also began to feel invisible kicks and punches on their bodies. How could they fight a foe they couldn't see?

"Hold it right there, partner!" Applejack used her enchanted lasso to tie the dazed pony and hung them from the ceiling. Asami manifested herself before Applejack, who leaped up and hoof/high five Asami in victory.

While everyone continued fighting the henchponies, Spike watched from the balcony of the catwalk, but soon noticed that there was one more pony who was not assisting in the fight. And who was trying to leave.

"Fluttershy, where are you going?"

"You seem to have everything under control." she said.

"Fluttershy, we need you! You have to power up!"

The Mane-iac heard him and readied to aim her cannon at Fluttershy.

"I'm sorry, it's just that nothing is making me mad."

Before she could fire, a miniature flying Mako showed up, his hands glowing bright with electricity, ready to fire. He stung her directly in her left eye, causing her to cry out in pain. Using her mane, she flicked the little Mako out of the way, causing him to hit the wall, very hard, reverting him back to normal size, and one of his wings was now broken. Fluttershy rushed to his aid.

"Oh, goodness! Are you okay?"

Mako grunted as he stood up. His injured wing, amazingly, hurt as much as if it were his arm or leg that had been broken. "Ow! My wing!"

"Can you fly?"

Mako tried to move his wing, but it was too painful. Even Fluttershy could tell it hurt for him to move it. If there was anything Fluttershy hatted most, it was when her friends were bullied. And worse, it was when one of them was the size of a teensy, little, harmless firefly. The yellow pegasus felt something ignite within her.

"Are you kidding me?" she said to the Mane-iac, "I mean, I know you're evil and everything, but you'd hurt toss my friend, up against the wall like a piece of trash?! Really?!"

As she spoke, her anger grew, as did her voice, which became deeper and deeper the more she spoke. Her eyes turning red in the process.

"Well you're just a great, big, meanie! There! I said it! What makes you think you're so special?! Like the rules of common courtesy don't apply to you?! Why don't you pick on somepony your own size?!

Fluttershy's body grew along with her anger, her green jumpsuit tore to pieces, her legs became bulky and large, rivaling that of Bulk Biceps. Her body was now ten times bigger than before. She had transformed into a gigantic pony monster, who roared loudly in pure anger.

The others watched on awe, even Korra and Bolin who came to Mako's aid. Even Mako himself couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The Mane-iac, now fearing the monster, began pressing the buttons of the doomsdays device, which began to fire at the heroes. A blue ray shot right out, hitting Fluttershy, who managed to repel it with just the power of her strength and mighty roar. The beam came flying back, knocking the Mane-iac right off of the chain.

Fluttershy jumped onto the cannon and began smashing it to bits with no signs of remorse whatsoever. The entire Team gathered together, while watching wide eyed at the destructive nature of their friend.

In her rampage, Fluttershy then noticed the looks she received from her friends. She spit out a piece of the machine out of her mouth and blushed in embarrassment. Despite her new form, she was still fluttery underneath.

"Remind me never to get on her bad side." said Asami.

Then, they all saw the Mane-iac, who had been hit by her own ray, and so her hair was spinning out of control. While still laughing like crazy.

"My mane! My maaaaaane!"

The green tentacle hair enwrapped itself around her body, trapping her in her own hair, all while she laughed insanely. To shut her up, Korra froze her body solid, only her eyes could be seen moving and her muffled voice was heard. Korra blew the blue mist from her finger, smiling proudly.

"Nice one." Mako said, impressed.

Spike said proudly, "Once again, the day is saved by—" before he could finish, a flashing light appeared above them all and everybody was sucked inside.

(~)

Team Avatar and the now former Power Ponies where tossed out of the comic book and were back in the castle. The comic closed its pages and rested on the pedestal. Team Avatar noticed their outfits had changed back to normal and the ponies no longer had their costumes. Or their powers. But even so, that adventure was remarkable for all of them.

"Awesome!" Rainbow said, the others cheering in agreement.

Bolin looked sadly at himself, "Aww, man! I was really starting to get the hang of my new animal powers." he said with a pouty face.

Mako looked at his back, happy to see that the pain in his wing was now gone. "Ya know, I'm kinda gonna miss the wings." he said.

"I know I'm gonna miss that voice." Korra said giggling.

Mako narrowed his eyes, "Very funny." however, his attitude quickly changed when he received yet another kiss from Korra.

"But you were pretty amazing back there."

"Thanks." he said with a blush, "You were pretty amazing too. And I'm just just talking about that costume." he winked.

"Did you see how I was raining down a storm of justice at the end there?!" said Rainbow Dash.

"You catch how I was wieldin' that lasso?" said Applejack.

"Or how I knocked those ponies out!" Asami said, just as enthusiastic as the rest, "They never saw me coming."

"Because they couldn't see you." said Mako

"I know, right!"

"Cupcakes?" Pinkie Pie shared a plate of colorful cupcakes with the others.

Rarity; "How did you—"

"Eh, we had a good half second before we got sucked back out of the comic, and the Maretropolis bakery was only sixty-five blocks away!"

Spike, who was exhausted, laid down on the pillow on the floor, "I'm just glad to be back--Whoa!" he was unexpectedly lifted up by Korra, who hugged him tightly.

"I knew you'd come through for us Spike!"

"We wouldn't have made it without you." said Twilight, "And I hope you realize that just because we don't always need your help, it doesn't mean that we don't think you're helpful."

Spike smiled in return, "And that you don't have to have superpowers to be a super friend."

Everyone agreed, and Asami surprised Spike with a kiss on the cheek. "Our little hero."

"Let's here it for Spike!" Bolin shouted, pointing his fist into the air. The group began to lift Spike up in the air, cheering his name before he landed again, this time Mako catching him and placing the dragon on his shoulder.

"But I do have one question." Mako said, "Where exactly did you get that comic book?"

"I got it in Canterlot at the House of Enchanted Comics."

At the mention of this, the happy atmosphere died down and now everyone was looking at him with annoyed looks. Even Mako placed him back on the floor. How could he had not known the book was magic to begin with?

"Well, I didn't know it meant they were literally enchanted! I thought it just meant, like, the comics they sold there had really enchanting storylines!"

"Well, at least we got to have some fun." Korra stated.

Instead of staying annoyed, everyone agreed with her. It was true, they did have an epic adventure. But, they still had some work to do around the castle, which should be a since for them after everything they had just witnessed. Spike got up and joined them.

"Hey, wait up! I'm an important part of this team, remember?!"

Once they were all gone, the comic book suddenly disappeared in a flash of white light.

(~)

"So even if Spike doesn't have super strength, or super speed, or can fly.

That doesn't mean he can't be the hero of his own story. And even when things seemed hard, his friends never once gave up on him.

Moral of the story; to true friends, you are always a hero.

See you all next time for another installment of;

Tales of Equestria!

Chapter 6–Rarity takes Manehatthan

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"Oh, Manehattan!

What you do to me!

What a huge bustling community---Oh!

Ahem, sorry I didn't see you there. I see you're all here for another story. Of course, you are, why else would you be here.

I was just singing an old tune sung by Rarity. You all know her, right? The fashionable and always creative unicorn with a generous heart. She is the Element of Generosity after all.

This story is about the time Rarity was preparing for Fashion Week at ManeHattan. She was so excited not only to show off her new clothes but to be as generous to all she met.

But what happens when her acts of kindness…

Takes a wrong turn?"

*(~)*

Romans 14:13 ~

So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

*(~)*

Rarity Takes Manehattan

"I thank you all enough for coming with me," said Rarity. The white unicorn and her friends arrived at the Ponyville train station. The entire Mane Six, even Korra, Asami, and Mako were there as well to join their friend on her journey to the most amazing and fashionable place in all of Equestria.

Manehattan city!

"Are you kidding?" Korra began, her smile beaming, "I wouldn't miss this for the world! To think, an actual urban city in Equestria."

"Remind me again why I had to come along?" Mako asked as he placed his bags on the floor, "This really seems more like a girls-only trip."

Korra rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on! Lighten up, Mako. Manehatten sounds incredible! There's so much to see and do. And I hear they have these adorable rooftop restaurants where you can see the entire city at night."

"Funny you should mention that." said Rarity, "Because I made some calls and…." she took out a piece of paper with the name of the restaurant, "I made reservations for the two of you!"

Mako took the paper, looking in amazement. The place did seem like the ideal spot for a romantic evening under the stars and looking down at the city down below. Korra sure seemed excited, maybe this trip won't be as boring after all.

"Wow. Rarity, this is so…."

"Generous?" Korra finished for him.

"Exactly!"

While the two were already discussing how amazing their date will be, Asami tried her best to not let her anger show. She could have said "no" to come, but she did want to help her unicorn friend.

The little dragon Spike, and earth bender Bolin, came up with a trolly filled with Rarity's bags. "There you are, Rarity!" said Spike, "That's the last of your bags."

Bolin stretched, "No need to thank us. Just doin' what we men do. Helping out fair damsels."

"Actually, boys, I've got one last pile of bags, over there."

The two boys' eyes widened in surprise at the second large amount of bags right behind them.

"Won't you be a dear? After all, helping 'fair damsels' is what you're good at right?" she said while batting her eyes.

Bolin was hesitant, the first pile was heavy enough, but Spike, being already smitten by the pony's beauty, immediately went on to help.

"Sure… I'll be a dear…" Spike trained as he tried to pull on the luggage, only to receive help from both Mako and Bolin. The fire bender never understood why this unicorn would bring so many bags with her.

"An entire week in the fabulous city of Manehattan!" Rarity said in excitement, "Plus, all of my very best friends there with me!"

"Of course we'd all come along to support you during Fashion Week, Rarity!" Twilight said kindly

"Not that you'll need it." said Fluttershy, "We're sure you'll win."

"She's right." said Korra, "Nopony else can make dresses like yours. And not even as fast."

Rarity squealed with delight, "I can't begin to tell you how excited I am that you'll all be there with me! However... Perhaps I can show you…" she opened her purse with her magic and levitated out eleven tickets."

"What's that?" Korra asked.

Pinkie Pie rose her hoof like a child in class, "Ooh, ooh, ooh, I know! A paper fan!"

"No, it's—"

"A magic trick! You know, where I pick a card and remember what it is and then you put it back in the deck so you can't look at it and—"

"These are tickets to the hottest musical on Bridleway!" Rarity exclaimed excitedly. The Mane Six all smiled in excitement.

"You couldn't mean Hinny of the Hills," said Twilight, beaming, "because that show's been sold out for months! Or could you?!"

"I could. I do."

Twilight gasped and hugged her friend, along with the other ponies, "Oh, Rarity, you didn't have to do that, but... since you did…" The entire Mane Six all galloped and cheered with joy. But Korra and Asami were still rather confused by this.

"What's Hinny of the Hills?" Asami asked.

Rainbow Dash flew up to her, "Only the most amazing, super incredible musical ever!"

Korra had never seen Rainbow this excited since they met Daring Do in the flesh. Or fur. "Wow, must be quite a show to get you this pumped."

"Sounds like fun," said Asami

"This trip is fun already!" said Pinkie Pie while doing a backflip, "I love jumping up and down! Whee-hee!"

(~)

The train made its way across the long bridge of the city, which looked a lot like the silver rope bridge back in Republic City. The place was truly amazing! The buildings were as tall as the eye could see, cute little boats were sailing across the bey, a horse statue stood at the top of a tall building, and they spotted a statue of a green-colored pony wearing a crown, rising a flame torch in her hand, nearly similar to Avatar Aang's statue.

"Wow!" Team Avatar said in unison. The place looked like a pony-version of Republic City, only brighter, more colorful, and filled with ponies. Despite the similarities, it was also pretty different. Korra, of course, loved anything having to do with learning more about the world of Equestria and its locations. She was never one to turn away the chance to see more of the land. Mako noticed the gleam in her eyes. That joyful and innocent smile and attitude reminded him so much of…of a little boy he once knew a long time ago. Could Korra be the key to bring him back one day? Or maybe, he was already slowly returning. Only time would tell.

They arrived at the ran central train station, with Spike and Bolin equally carrying Rarity's bags.

"Come along, everyone! I found us a place to stay only a block from the train station in the very heart of this glorious metropolis!"

As the group walked down the blocks, they took the chance to truly admire every detail of the city. Korra noticed all of the urban ponies in their modern clothing, tall buildings with advertisement billboards, and taxi carriages pulled by strong-looking earth ponies. Mako's eyes caught sight of a particular building.

"Hey, look! There's the restaurant."

"Wow, it's gorgeous!" Korra said, admiring the building, "I bet it looks even more amazing at night. We don't have too many rooftop dinners in Republic City."

"And the ones we do have are only for the richest people around," Mako stated. Only to realize what he just said and turned to the heiress, "Uh, no offense Asami."

Asami simply shrugged, "None taken. It's not the first time."

"Hey, look!" Applejack pointed towards a theater, decorated with lights and an image of a singing pony with a countryside background, "That's the theatre where Hinny of the Hills is plain'!"

The ponies 'oohed' in amazement before they continued walking once more. "Wow, Rarity! How'd you manage to get us seats for tomorrow night?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, I gave some designs to the costume designer, so he pulled a few strings."

"Cool!" the Mane Six said in union.

"That is what makes Manehattan so splendid and amazing. You do something nice for somepony, and then you never know when they'll do something nice for you!"

"So then you can do something nice for us!" said Applejack.

"Like get us in to see Hinny of the Hills!" said Fluttershy happily.

"Which is only the best musical in all of Equestria!" said Rainbow Dash.

"It must be good if Rainbow Dash is impressed." Mako said, "Normally she doesn't even like musicals."

"I know. Ponies just bursting into song in random places at the drop of a hat? Who does that?"

Mako's eyes widened in realization, "Hey, wait a sec--" before he could say another word, music filled the air.

Rarity;

Oh, Manehattan, what you do to me

Such a huge bustling community

And there's always opportunity

To do the friendly thing

Mako simply shook his head, raising his hands in surrender, "Not gonna question it."

Bolin and Spike were still struggling with the bags when Rarity came singing to them.

If some are grouchy, pay no mind

Surprise instead with something kind

She quickly bought two carrots on a bun from a nearby stand and handed them to the two boys. Spike was just about to eat his, until a bird swooped in and took Bolin's, much to his annoyance.

Lo and behold, you may just find

A smile is what you bring

Once they reached the hotel they would be staying at, the bellhop, a young grey colored stallion, came out with a trolly.

"Welcome to the Mane Fair Hotel! Please allow me to take those bags to your room for you!

"Only if you'll accept this gratuity first." Rarity said, showing him a magenta jewel.

"Oh-ho-ho! I'll get your change!"

"Do keep it all. I insist!"

Mako reacted with a slight yelp at Rarity just handing out money all willy nilly. Even he was smart enough not to do that. Korra patted him on the back to ease him.

"Calm down, tiger."

Rarity then took her friends to a boat ride across the bey. The unicorn sang her heart out as her oink and white scarf bellowed in the wind. Korra was eating an ice pop while enjoying the view with the others.

Rarity;

Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can give

Once they stopped, they descended down the wooden catwalk to see at the top of the pony statue.

Generosity, I'm here to set the bar

Just sit back and watch how I live

Korra spotted a young filly, who dropped her ice pop on the floor. The Avatar graciously handed her her own and ruffled her mane. The pony smiled in gratitude.

At the top of the torch of the pony statue, Rarity was about to use the telescope when another pony was about to use it. Rarity allowed him to go first.

"After you."

"Why, thank you." he said.

Rarity spotted another pony, who was freezing from the cold wind and gave him her scarf, "Please, take mine."

"Wow, okay."

Korra smiled proudly at Rarity's kindness, and Mako watched as scene as well, equally touched. Inspired by this he saw one pony who no longer had any coins to use for the telescope, so Mako generously handed him one of his own.

"Here you go, buddy."

"Wow, thanks!"

Rarity smiled at him, "See? It's catching on!"

The whole group walked on to see the rest of the city.

Rarity;

Some may say, "Rarity,

Don't be so big-hearted and bold

Treating strangers like they're friends

This town's too big and cold"

The group them bumped into a grumpy looking pony, but Rarity was not having it.

But this is how I play my cards

I'm not about to fold

She bought a flower from a nearby stand and placed it on the grumpy pony's hat, making him much happier due to Rarity's kindness.

Where I see a frown, I go to town

Call me the smile patrol

Rainbow Dash;

Oh, Manehattan, what you do to us

Fluttershy;

What if you find a Gloomy Gus?

Fluttershy pointed to a taxi driver and a pony arguing due to one of the wheels being broken. Immediately, Korra, Bolin and Applejack assisted in lifting the carriage up.

Korra;

It's no intimidating thing

Pinkie Pie;

Just be kind without a fuss

Rarity;

Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can do

She kindly fixed the wheel so the taxi could take off once more, earning thanks you's from the two ponies.

Generosity, you are the key

Manehattan, I'm here just for you

Just for you

(~)

After the song ended, Rarity sighed dreamingly at a dress on display on a window. "To think my dresses could soon be displayed on the most glamorous shopping thoroughfare of the most glamorous city in Equestria! Oh, it would be my dream come true!"

"Is there anything left to do we can help you with?" Asami asked.

"Hm, nothing I can think of. The dresses are all completely finished, all made from a fabulous new fabric I've been developing for months in advance. Stretchy, but not clingy. Shimmery, but not showy. Thanks to my new waterbending abilities, it's become even more perfect! Of course, I have Korra to thank for that part."

The Avatar blushed bashfully.

"It sounds amazing." said Fluttershy.

"There's nothing left for me to do but check in at the runway with my dresses by two this afternoon."

"Oh, that's funny." said Pinkie Pie "Because that clock over there makes it seem like that's only ten minutes from now!" her hoof pointed to a clock on the window, which really did show it was only ten minutes before two! To make things even more dramatic, thunder rumbled and it began to rain.

Using her waterebending to umbrella herself, "Oh, my ribbons and ice burgs. And the runway ballroom is all the way across town! If I don't get there, I'm disqualified!" she immediately galloped ahead, "Taaaaxiii!"

"Oh, no! We've gotta help her find a cab, now!" said Fluttershy.

"I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash flew up and landed on a cap, "Hey, buddy! Is this cab taken?"

The pony inside the taxi spoke up, "The line ends back there, "buddy"!"

"Huh? What?" she looked behind her, seeing the long line of ponies waiting, "Does everypony in this town want a cab?"

"I'm afraid getting a taxi at this time could prove almost impossible!" said Rarity in distress.

Twilight Sparkle tried to plead with one of the ponies, "Please won't you let her have this taxi? She has somewhere very important to be right away!"

"Not likely!" he responded rudely as he got on the cap, "She can get in line like the rest of us!"

Korra growled in anger, "Hey! You can't talk to my friend like that!" she shouted but the taxi already took off. "Give me a few minutes, I'll get us a cap." she said while pounding her fists.

"It's no use Korra!" Twilight stated, "The cab drivers just drive right past to get to the next pony in line!"

It was then, that a certain pony from before came galloping ahead. It was the one who they helped before with his broken wheel.

"Hey, it's that pony driver from before!" Bolin said.

"New wheel works like a charm! So now which of you nice folks are hoppin' in?"

Rarity beamed, her act of kindness had returned her the favor, and just in time too. She hopped right into the cap, which oddly enough, had some rainbow colors in its side. "Fashion runway plaza in seven minutes. Can you make it?"

"Hang on!" the pony galloped his front hooves before dashing off, as Rarity waved at her friends.

"Ta-ta!"

Spike sighed in relief, "Whew, that was close."

"I'll say." said Korra. Then, she realized, "Uh, anybody else feel like we forgot something?"

The entire group gasped in horror: "The dresses!"

(~)

Rarity came galloping into the plaza, nearly out of breath and stopped in front of the receptionist. A purple mare with glasses and pale yellow mane who was typing on a typewriter.

"Good afternoon, I'm here for Fashion Week!"

"Everypony's gathered in front of the runway and about to start, so you'll just have to bring your dresses along with you and store them backstage later."

Rarity's eyes widened and her anxiety returned, "My– My dresses! How could I possibly forget them?! I'm dooooomed!"

Just as Rarity was about to give up, while already teary eyed and laying face first on the floor, while the receptionist remained unfazed, the bellhop from before walked in with a trolly filled with Rarity's designs.

"Got 'em right here, ma'am! Your friends told me you need these in a hurry, so I offered to race 'em over myself. "Anything for that nice mare," I told 'em!"

Rarity quickly took the dressed and thanks the bellhop by handing him another gem, "You're a lifesaver!"

(~)

Rarity galloped into the runway with her line of dresses and stopped right beside a line of other ponies, all brightly colorful and wearing stylish accessories, and sighed in relief.

"I made it! And with seconds to spare! Hello, everypony. Pleased to meet you all."

"Rarity, I presume."

An older female pony arrived, she was somewhat taller and slimmer than the others, and only slightly shorter than the male stallion. Her coat was grey and wore a pale pink jacket with yellow outlines and white ruffle around he collar. Purple and yellow earrings and a cutie mark consisting of a spool and scissors and pink mane and tail. Her voice was sophisticated and strict, similar to Miss Harcwhinny from the Equestria Games. Rarity immediately recognized her.

"You must be Prim Hemline, the host of this grand event. How do you—?" but Prim interrupted her, causing the unicorn to take a step back.

"Miss Rarity, how is it that all your competitors are here half an hour early, and yet you arrive seconds before we begin?"

Just as things seemed to be going well for her, they didn't. Rarity had to come with something fast. What would Korra come up with? Aside from that 'needed to use the bathroom' excuse.

"Uhhhh…" she chuckled nervously, "Just… lucky, I guess." she smiled in hopes Prim would let it slide. Thank Celestia she did. Rarity sighed in relief while the mare addressed to all the fashion ponies.

"Once we're done here, you're to finish setting up backstage, so you'll be ready for your run-through appointment." she turned to Rarity once more, "You show your designs last. We keep to a precise schedule, so let's try to be more than a few seconds early, hmm?"

Rarity blushed in embarrassment.

"Tomorrow is the contest to see which one of you gets to stay to meet top designers all across the city. The rest of you must go home early. So sad. Dismissed!"

With that said and done, the prim mare and the rest of the contestants dashed off to get their designs ready. One pony in particular approached the unicorn. Her coat was bright pink and her mane and tail were curled to perfection in a slightly paler shade of color, similar to Rarity's much stronger colored mane. She wore her hair in a lose bun with a yellow headband and a two-tone blue scarf around her neck. She had colorful buttons for a cutie mark. She spoke in an upper-class accent and had brown eyes.

"I'm so glad you made it, Rarity!"

"Me too, but everything just seems to keep working out!"

"Don't you remember me?"

Rarity arched an eyebrow at the new mare, "Do I?"

"Suri Polomare from the Ponyville Knitters League?"

"Oh, yes, of course, of course! I– I thought you looked familiar, but I couldn't place it." however, she still hardly remembered her. She felt guilty for not knowing, "You haven't been back in years!"

"Because I moved here to make it in the big city. Ha, ha, ha, okay?"

"Oh, good for you, Sur—" Rarity was interrupted when Suri spontaneously hugged her.

"Ooh, it's so good to see you! And now here we are, competing! Ha, ha, ha, okay?"

"Yes, yes. Well, good luck!"

"Oh, I don't need luck. Would you like a hoof with your things?"

"Why, thank you so much!" the two ponies walked backstage to get everything set. Rarity removed the cloths from her dresses, which immediately captured Suri's eye.

"My, your collection is gorgeous!"

"Oh now, I'm sure your collection is equally lovely, if not more so!"

"It's alright, but nothing like this!" she marveled at the beauty of the dresses, noticing their perfect balance of magenta and blue, and the blue was like a shimmering aqua illuminating fabric that was unlike anything she had ever seen. "Where did you get the inspiration?"

"Oh, it was really thanks to a friend of mine I met while I was away several months ago. In fact, she's inspired a lot of my new designs. She and my other friends have been so kind in helping me with the competition. I'm dedicating my work just for them."

"That's so sweet." Suri said, "Your friend must be something if she inspired this! You're so lucky, my culottes are simply crying out for just the right accent, but I haven't the slightest notion where I—" Suri gasped as an idea came to mind, "Actually… just a touch of this fabric could be perfect with it. W– Oh, hey, would you mind terribly if I took a swatch?"

"Oh, not at all! Here, I have loads extra." Rarity kindly levitated a large swatch of her one of a kind fabric and handed it to Suri.

"You're sure?"

"Positive! Oh, well, it's been wonderful getting caught up, and I don't wish to be rude, but I must finish my preparations and I am a bit late as it... is?" To her surprise, Suri was already gone. "Hmm, must be in a rush too."

But what Rarity did not know was that the pink pony wore a sneaky grin on her face as she walked out with the swatch in hoof.

(~)

The next morning, Rarity got up early this time and had all of her gowns up and ready. Her friends were off to see more of the city, but before they did, Korra stood outside in the hallway.

"Korra? Aren't you going with the others?"

"I am. I just wanted to give you something for good luck." The Avatar pulled out a stunning hair clip, in the shape of diamonds identical to Rarity's cutie mark. "I saw this yesterday and it reminded me of you." Korra placed it on her friend's mane. Rarity was touched by the thoughtful gift. "I remember how nervous I was at my first pro-bending match. But I know you're gonna knock em dead!"

Rarity smiled thankfully at her friend before hugging her leg. "Thank you, Korra."

"Anytime. Now get out of here, you've got a competition to win!"

The unicorn squealed with delight before running off with her dresses.

(~)

She finally made it to the reception area, "Hello! I'm here half an hour early for my run-through appointment, just the way Prim likes!"

"Get in line over there." the receptionist pointed to the line of fashion ponies awaiting their turn. Then, the once emotionally stern pony smiled in awe when she took notice of Rarity's cloths. "Oh my, that fabric's gorgeous, did you make that yourself?"

"Oh, why, yes. It's stretchy, but not clingy. Shimmery—"

"Shimmery, but not showy."

Rarity suddenly heard another voice saying the exact words she herself used to describe her own fabric. She looked into the theater and she could not believe what she had seen!

Suri had used Rarity's unique fabric in ALL of her designs! Everything was exactly like hers! She could not believe her eyes, and what was worse, Suri acted like the whole thing was hers and hers alone!

"And the entire line is in the same adorable pattern. It works on everything from skirts to tops to shoes…"

Prim Hemline applauded for Suri's 'creation'. "Oh, bravo! I've never seen anything like it!"

Suri could not have been any prouder of herself. Just as she walked out, she felt a powerful source of magic pull on her scarf and she was slammed against the wall by a fiercely angry white unicorn. Some of the Avatar's brutality and boldness had rubbed off on Rarity, who sneered at the pink pony.

"You stole my fabric!"

Suri laughed as she walked away from Rarity, unfazed, "I didn't steal it, okay? You gave it to me, 'member?"

"I gave you the fabric for accents! Not for your whole line! And how could you possibly make all of those outfits out of it so fast?!"

"Fast? Hah! Coco Pommel here took practically forever. Nearly got me completely disqualified." Suri pointed her hoof to her assistant, who was so silent even Rarity had nearly forgotten she was still there.

Coco was a lovely young earth pony with an off-white coat and two-tone blue mane and tail. Her mane was short with bangs. She wore a white-bordered lavender sailor collar with a scarlet tie and tri-shaped hair clip in the back of her mane and her cutie mark was that of a stylish hat in the same color scheme as her collar and her eyes were a clear lovely blue.

"Well, I wanted to make sure you'd win, so I took the extra time to—"

"Quiet! I pay an assistant to sew and get coffee, not talk. 'Kay?"

Rarity didn't know what to do. She had been to kind and generous to Suri and now, because of it, she had lost a sure chance of demonstrating her talents. Nothing made any sense. "How could this happen? This doesn't make any sense."

Suri pulled on a faux sincerer tone, "Aw, sweetie, don't blame yourself. It takes some small-town fillies a while to learn it's everypony for herself in the big city, m'kay?"

Suddenly, something ignited within Rarity. There was no way she was going to let her get away with this. With the water skin she always carried around her waist, Rarity bended the water out and hurled it towards a shocked Suri, freezing her against the wall. She grunted as she struggled to break free.

"Uh! What are you doing?!"

"You may think you've gained the upper hoof but you have no idea with whom you are dealing with!" with her horn, Rarity melted the ice, turning it back into water and placed it back into her water skin. Her eyes narrowed as he hovered over a frightened Suri, "Have I made myself clear?"

But Suri was braver than she looked, "You really think some pretty magic trick is going to scare me? Besides, you wouldn't hurt me for real. I know an empty threat when I see one, m'kay?"

Rarity backed away for Suri was right. She would never do anything that aggressive to anypony. She was just so mad she reacted on impulse. Without another word, Rarity ran out crying as Coco watched her in sympathy.

Suri shook the remaining water off of her body as she approached Coco, "Hope you realize how fortunate you are to have me as a mentor. Now get me some coffee!"

(~)

Back at the hotel, the Mane Six and Team Avatar arrived after an epic day of sight seeing. Bolin was still jumping from the excitement while holding a foam finger. "Wow! What a great afternoon! That was almost too much fun!"

"I still can't believe how many times Mako fell when ice skating in that rink!" Twilight giggled.

The firebender laughed sarcastically, "Ha, ha, at least I didn't get my tongue stuck on the ice like a certain somepony."

"I wanted to try skating with my tongue!" Pinkie protested.

Rainbow Dash opened the door of the hotel room as the others walked in as well, "Better pace yourself, 'cause the rest of the day is jam-packed!"

"First there's the salon appointment to get our manes and hair done." said Applejack.

"Then our fancy dinner at the Far-Afield Tavern!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Where Korra and I will be having a romantic meal under the stars." Mako said with a smile on his face, which was shared by the Avatar.

Fluttershy continued, "And after that…"

"Hinny of the Hills!" The ponies all exclaimed happily while jumped up in excitement before landing and laughing together, along with the human teens as Spike placed the rest of the stuff they bought on the corner of the room.

The door opened once more and a depressed Rarity entered. Korra was the first to spot her and her excitement immediately dropped. She knew something was wrong. "Rarity…is everything okay?"

"You got the dresses the bellhop brought you and everything, right?" Bolin asked, but Rarity ignored him as she approached her bed and started bawling on the sheets and pillow. "But he said he brought them."

"And then Suri stole them!"

"Who's Suri?" Rainbow asked.

Rarity did some fast breathing before responding, "She's this sleazy, lying little rat!" she did more fast breathing before speaking again, "I let her use one of the other contestants of my one-of-a-kind fabric" more fast breathing, "and then she turned it into a wardrobe just like mine, " more fast breathing, "only now it looks like I'm the one copying her! My generosity has ruined me, I tell you! Ruined!"

Seeing her friend so distressed was enough to get Korra's blood boiling. "Why that no good little--I'm going over there and giving her a piece of my mind!"

"I already did!" Rarity said in between sobs, "I froze her up to a wall and told her to knock it off but--" fast breathing, "It's too late!!"

Korra sat on the bed and allowed the unicorn to hug her as she cried. "Rarity, I am so sorry. But we're here to help you through it. Right guys?"

"Right," said Twilight, "No matter what it takes."

The rest generally agreed to help their distressed friend. "Come on, Rarity, buck up!" Applejack said encouragingly, "All we need is some fabric and you'll be back in business!"

Korra kindly wiped the tears away and Rarity looked around the room, hoping to find some kind of inspiration. Then, the gears in her brain started to spin. She studied the room, the curtains, the walls, the sheets, even the carpets. After a few moments of pondering, she now knew what she was going to make. Her tears faded completely and her depression was now no more, being replaced by excitement and determination.

"This new line is going to be marvelous! Perhaps even better than the last! It's daring, it's bold! Perhaps I still have a chance after all!"

"See, I knew you could do it!" Korra said proudly.

Rarity jumped out of the bed and went into commando mode. "I'm going to need all hooves and hands on deck! Fluttershy, Asami, Twilight get the sowing machines. Korra, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie work on the fabric. Applejack, you're in charge of arranging, Mako organize and Bolin…bring me a drink! This is going to be a long night!"

However, while they were happy Rarity was back in action, this new side of her did seem a tad off. Especially for Korra. Something had changed inside her friend. And she didn't like it.

(~)

Hours had already past and the team was still working their tails off. Rarity needed an entire new line by tomorrow morning so they couldn't afford to rest. Rainbow Dash and Korra worked on the spinning wheel while Asami, Twilight and Fluttershy worked on the sowing machines and Applejack folded the fabrics with the help of the two brothers and Spike, since the boys were less knowledgeable about fashion making than the girls. Asami was good at working a machine while Korra knew how to sow from Katara.

All the while, a stone-faced no-nonsense Rarity observed all of the progress. Fluttershy nearly dozed off only to force a smile when Rarity spotted her. The unicorn narrowed her eyes at Pinkie Pie, who was playing will a ball of yarn. When Pinkie saw her stare she went back to work, trying to be enthusiastic but found it hard due to Rarity's grim demeanor. She then levitated more swats for Applejack and the boys to fold and arrange. She levitated the already arranged fabrics and handed them to Twilight and Asami.

"Twilight, Asami! Sew these pieces together according to that pattern there!"

"You said if we skipped dinner at the Far-Afield Tavern, you'd order a meal for us while we keep working." said Twilight.

"Don't fret. It'll be here in an hour." Rarity said sternly, which wasn't very much like herself at all.

Korra looked over at Mako sadly, "Sorry we couldn't have our dinner date tonight." she said.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." he said while narrowing his eyes at the unicorn, who managed to catch what she was subtly trying to say.

"What was that?!" Rarity exclaimed angrily. Mako was almost done with her attitude but remained quiet. "There isn't going to be a problem here, is there?"

"Well, we're supposed to be watching Hinny of the Hills by then…" Rainbow reminded her while tapping her hooves uncertainly.

"Oh! I see! I go out of my way to get you tickets for a show, and this is how you repay me? By abandoning me in my hour of need?"

The Mane five looked on in guilt, but Korra knew that the unicorn was being unfair. "Rarity, I understand you're stressed out right now, but we've been working our butts off for---"

"Oh, oh, oh! Fine! Go and see Hinny of the Hills tonight!" Rarity stomped her hoof angrily, "And then tomorrow morning when you come to see my fashion show without any fashion to show, you can have more entertainment!" she got in between Rainbow and Pinkie Pie while speaking angrily and dramatically, " "Oh, why look, there's our friend Rarity going down in flames! Isn't friendship magic?!""

It was now when Mako became fed up with her attitude. He slammed his fists down and stood up. "That's it! I've already given up on my date there is no way I'm spending another hour in this sweat shop with a pony pre-madona!"

"Mako!" Korra called out for him but the firebender had already left the room, slamming the door angrily in the process. Now it was Korra's turn to get upset. "Rarity, what's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into you?! Oh, go ahead! See your little show and have your precious date! Congratu-pony-lations, fillies! Sounds like you've all figured out already it's everypony for herself in this town!"

The unicorn angrily ran out the door, leaving the others to continue working. But Korra was not done with Rarity. Not yet. She walked out of the room after her friend.

"Rarity, wait!"

The unicorn hesitantly stopped but did not turn around to face the Avatar. Korra could sense the heartache in her friend's heart. It was this that had caused her to behave so badly towards everyone.

"I'm sorry Suri stole your designs, but this isn't like you."

"How would you know?" Rarity said angrily, finally turning around to face her.

"Because the Rarity I know would never treat her friends like this. What happened to that open-hearted unicorn who wanted to give nothing but happiness to everypony she met?"

"That pony was foolish and naive! She's gone now!" Rarity turned her back on Korra, literally. But the Avatar stood firm.

"No. The strong, creative and generous unicorn I know and love is still in there. And It's going to take a lot more than some backstabbing pony to get rid of her."

With that, Korra walked back into the room, leaving a distressed Rarity alone to sob by herself. All while a pair of cyan eyes watched her from afar.

(~)

Outside, Mako sat on the plight of stairs in front of the hotel, looking distraught when he heard an annoying voice. "Hey, aren't you one of those two legged human-thingies that came here with that has-been unicorn?"

Mako looked up to see a pink snobby pony, who smiled arrogantly. Mako immediately connected the dots. "Suri? You're the one who stole Rarity's designs!"

"So what if I did?" she confessed snobbishly.

Mako stood up and pointed a finger at her, "Do you have any idea what you put her through?"

"Hey, she's got to learn that that's how you get by in the big city. I did her a favor. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some more work for mu assistant to finish, m'kay?"

Suri walked off back into the hotel, leaving a guilt filled Mako behind. Maybe he should have been a much more patient friend to Rarity.

(~)

Daylight broke and the team was finally done with their work. Bolin and Spike were already sound asleep as Twilight and Applejack adjusted the last broach. "There. That's the last of them." said Twilight.

"Finally!" Rarity immediately took the gowns and galloped out of the room in a mad dash.

"You're welcome!" Korra shouted out in annoyance. But deep down, she hoped her friend would come back soon. She missed the old Rarity.

(~)

Suri was the first one to show off her new line. Cameras flashed as fashion critics and high society ponies marveled at the creation as the pony models showed them off. Suri stood beside Prim Hemline as she addressed to the crowed.

"Let's have another round of applause for Suri Polomare's amazing collection. That fabric! So original!" the ponies cheered and Suri waved to her adoring public.

Rarity narrowed her eyes in anger when Suri approached her, "Well look who's here. Here to show off your copycat collection, mm? Heh." she chuckled as she walked by with Coco in tow.

"And now, Rarity from Ponyville with her brand new line – and I mean "brand new" – Hotel Chic." Prim announced Rarity's name and her models walked out to show off her new line, inspired by the hotel room. Everypony loved them. They were so creative and out there, they couldn't help but adore it. Rarity gasped with delight.

"Oh! They're liking it! I think I may have just won this thing! Oh, I can't wait to celebrate with…" then, reality hit her once more as she looked at the audience, "My friends. They didn't come. What have I done?"

What had she done? After the way she behaved how could her other friends ever forgive her. And Korra, after the way she acted in front of her, she must be even angrier with her now.

Prim Hemline approached the unicorn, "Rarity, they all adore you! Aren't you going to tell them about your fabulous pieces?"

As Rarity looked on, all she could see was the rope in front of the audience which gave off a rainbow-colored glow. The space where her friends should have stood. Her eyes flicked with a Rainbow hue as Korra's words rang in her ears.

"The strong, creative and generous unicorn I know and love is there in there. And It's going to take a lot more than some backstabbing pony to get rid of her."

She was right. The old Rarity had not left, she was just lost. But now she knew which path to take.

"I have to go."

In a rush, Rarity galloped onto the stage and out of the room, much to Prim's and the audience's shock.

"Come back at once!" Prim called out, "This is unheard of!"

(~)

Rarity galloped outside and encountered the Bellhop pony once more, carrying an assortment of luggage, "How do you do, ma'am? Contest going well?"

"No time to talk. I have to find my friends!"

"Oh, uh, they're gone already. I saw them headed out this morning."

"Oh, no! Back to Ponyville and Republic City, I imagine. Oh, they worked so hard on my behalf! And I repaid them with unkindness." she then removed the hair clip the Avatar had given her before, "Korra…oh, she never stopped believing in me, even after I yelled and ruined her date! What have I done?!" as she began to gallop away she briefly stopped and gave the bellhop some jewels in gratitude, "Oh… here you are." she said before running off.

"But miss, I– I didn't do anything!"

But Rarity did not hear him, for she needed to find her friends at once.

(~)

Thunder roared and rain pored down, soaking Rarity's mane to the bone. The unicorn tried to find her friends but there was no trace of them. There was nopony else to blame but herself.

Oh, Manehattan, what have I done?

The thought of Fashion Week was fun

As she looked on a window display of a dress, all she could see were her friends selflessly helping her the night before.

But I went way too far

My friends gave to me in ways so kind

And I gave them nothing but a hard time

And now alone I stand

As the rain continued to fall, so did Rarity's spirit.

(~)

Back at the hotel, Rarity walked up to the receptionist, "I need a moment with Prim Hemline. I have to rush back to Ponyville, but I just wanted to thank her first for—"

"Uh-uh-uh, you'd best steer clear of Prim for a while." Suri said when she entered the lobby with Coco, "She's pretty furious. Isn't that right?" she said to her assistant who timidly replied.

"Um… yes."

The doors opened once more and Rarity's heart leaped for joy and relief when she saw both the Mane Six, Spike and Team Avatar, all smiling happily at the sight of her. Even Korra and Mako, who were the most furious.

"There you all are! I can't believe it, I thought you went back home!"

"We missed the show because we overslept." Twilight said sadly, "Suri told us you lost. I'm really sorry."

But while her friends showed their sympathy, Suri was smiling in satisfaction. Her smile then faded when she noticed Korra's angry death glare.

"I lost?" Rarity felt so hurt, but in reality this pain of losing wasn't as great as the pain of losing her friends. "You know what? I don't even care. I'm just happy you're all still here after how I treated you. Taking advantage of your friendship the way I did. And Korra, Mako, I am so sorry for ruining your date and made you miss seeing Hinny of the Hills after I tried so hard to get the tickets for you. How could you ever see past it?"

Her friends smiled kindly at their beloved unicorn, until Applejack broke the silence, "Yeah, you were pretty rotten."

Bolin's jaw hung open, "Wow, Applejack. I know your thing is honesty, but come on!"

Korra squatted down to Rarity's level and gently petted her mane, "I'm sorry for getting angry before. I just hated seeing you in such pain. But I knew the real Rarity would come around."

Twilight began next, "Last night we may not have seen you at your best, but we know you. And we would never let one thing like that change how we feel about you."

Pinkie Pie jumped around and hugged Rarity first, followed by the rest of the Mane Six, Spike and Team Avatar.

"And I'm sorry for walking out like that." Mako said, "That was pretty cold."

"Yeah it was." said Applejack.

Mako blinked, "Okay, we get it. Honesty's your Element. Don't rub it in!"

Rarity's eyes filled with tears of joy. "Oh, thank you! You really are the most wonderful friends a pony could have! You know, I already arranged to make it up to you this afternoon! Hope you're all available for an exclusive performance of Hinny of the Hills!"

The Mane Six cheered happily before walking out the door, all happily together once more. But then, Mako remembered something important. "Oh! I left my wallet in the hotel room. I'll be right back." the firebender bypassed Coco and Suri, the latter smiled in satisfaction.

"And that is how it's done. Pretty clever how I convinced her to stay away from Prim, wasn't it? Wouldn't have wanted her to find out the truth now, would we?"

Coco lowered her head in shame. Just what was she doing with her life now?

(~)

Mako searched for the last place he had his wallet and found it on one of the beds. But then, something else caught his eye. He squatted down and picked up something from the pile of clothing from Rarity's bag. It was then a smile appeared on his face.

This was not over yet.

(~)

The Mane Six stomped their hooves in applause and cheered when the curtain went down. THe show was even better than they had imagined, and it was a private show just for them.

"Wow! That was even better than I imagined!" said Applejack

"Truly amazing!" said Asami

Rainbow Dash flew up into the air and made an air flip, "I loved it!" she then realized her reaction and lowered down, trying to act aloof, "Uh, I mean, it was a'ight."

Applejack and Pinkie Pie laughed happily.

"How did you ever get them to agree to do an extra performance just for us?" Twilight asked Rarity.

"Remember my costume designer friend who got me the tickets? Well, I offered to make all the costumes for his next show!"

"Um, here in Manehattan?" Fluttershy asked, her voice dropping out of sadness.

Rarity noticed the rest of the sad expressions of her friends, "Well, um... yes... it will keep me away from Ponyville for a while. But I so wanted you to see this show! And working for this designer is such a great opportunity!"

"We know." Korra wrapped her arm around the unicorn, "We're happy for you, Rarity. We're just sad for us."

The doors opened and a voice was heard, "Room for two more?" The others looked up to see Mako and a certain little pony beside him.

"Mako? Where have you been?" Korra asked.

"Yeah, you missed the whole show!" Bolin said.

"I just needed to get something first. You guys know Coco Pommel, right?"

The pony looked at them shyly. "Mind if I join you?"

Rarity was the first to speak, "Sure. Come on down." Rarity was a bit curious as to what she was doing here. But the others were even more curious to see that Mako had brought with him two bouquets of lovely wild flowers. One of which he handed to Korra.

"I went to get you guys something to show I was sorry." he handed the other bouquet to Rarity, for which the flowers were really for her.

"That's very sweet Mako but, why would I need this for?" said the unicorn.

"Because you're the winner of Fashion Week!"

"What?!" Everyone gasped in shock and Coco took out something from her saddle bag. Rarity took it and her eyes widened.

"This is the first place trophy. With my name on it! But I thought I lost!"

"You didn't." Mako stated as he continued to explain, "When I went to get my wallet I found something else." he showed them the scarf that was made entirely out of Rarity's special fabric, which was now colored magenta for Twilight's cutie mark.

"This is one of the scarfs I made for everyone. I was planing on surprising you all with them by the end of the week."

"When I found this I went to find Prim…."

………

The memory replayed in his mind when he barged into the room and found Prim standing there, ready to announce the winner.

"Can I help you?" the pony asked.

"Actually, I think I'm the one who can help." Mako took what he had found in the hotel room; a scarf made out entirely of Rarity's one of a kind fabric. Once Prim read what was on the back he angrily turned to Suri.

"Miss Polomare you are disqualified for stealing another designers fashion!"

Suri gasped in shock, "What?! But--But I---" to shut her up, Prim showed her the evidence.

"Pack your things. An artist who steals from others, is not an artist at all!"

Suri then glared angrily at the firebender, who smiled in triumph. "Next time, don't mess with my friend. M'kay?" he mocked her using her own slang.

Suri growled before stomping off.

………….

"I don't understand." said Rarity.

"Look at what it says on the back."

Rarity read the words out loud, "To my dear friends. Love Rarity."

"This proved you made the fabric yourself."

"Mako, I--I don't know what to say! Thank you!" the unicorn hugged the firebender's legs, making him smile.

"Suri was hoping that if you didn't claim your prize, the judges would consider it a forfeit and first place would go to her." Coco explained, "So she lied to make you and your friends go away, and, well, I lied too. I've worked for Suri for so long, I started to believe that it really is everypony for herself in this town. Until I saw how generous you were with your friends and how generous they were with you. It made me start believing there was something better for me out there. So, I– I quit. I brought you something to say thank you."

Coco took out a box from her saddle and gave it to Rarity, who smiled. "I suppose you'll need a job now that you're no longer with Suri. How would you like to work for my friend making all the costumes for his next show?"

Coco couldn't say yes fast enough!

(~)

The following morning, the group waved goodbye to Coco as they took the train back home. Bolin looked out the window, "Farewell Manehattan. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."

Rarity sat beside Korra and Mako, "I can't thank you both enough for what you did for me."

"You don't need to thank us Rarity." Korra said.

"Well, since you couldn't have your dinner at the restaurant, maybe I can make up for it."

(~)

And she did. That night, Rarity and the others arranged a lovely dinner at the rooftop of building, arranged personally for them. With a lovely gazebo, decorated with lights and flowers.

"Well, it's no fancy restaurant like you expected." Korra said.

"You know what, I think it's better this way." Mako said with a genuine smile, "It's the simple things you remember the most anyways."

Korra smiled in return, "I couldn't agree more."

Rarity levitated a jug of water for the two and poured it into their drinks. The two teens hugged the unicorn in gratitude.

"Manehattan was simply grand. It was in this magnificent metropolis that I learned that, while there are ponies who will take advantage of your generosity, you should never, ever let that cause you to abandon your generous spirit. Nothing feels worse than taking advantage of the giving nature of your friends."

Once Rarity was done writing her own entry in the journal, she opened the box Coco had given her and smiled when she found it was a cute little spool with rainbow threads. She placed it with the others on her work table and the spool gave out a shimmering rainbow glow.

(~)

"And so, Rarity had learned that Generosity

Really is the Key.

I'll see you all next time for another adventure in

Tales of Equestria!

Chapter 7–Bats!

View Online

"Hello everyone. Could you excuse me for a second?

*two minutes later*

There, that should do it. Sorry, recently I've been having a, um…infestation problem. Regarding a certain species of flying rodents!

I'm of course referring to Bats!

Oh, I never understand how people can love these things! Worse, come up with mushy romantic novels based on them where they turn human. Gross!

Interestingly enough, today's story involves bats.

It happened during apple buck season, where a certain apple herder was getting ready for the harvest.

(~)

Bats!

The sun was just about to rise, the night sky was already shifting from dark blue to bright orange and pink. A certain apple pony stood before her orchard, waiting patiently for the run to officially rise.

"Any minute now…"

The majestic yellow orb in the sky rose from behind the hilltops, blessing the earth with its warmth and light. The rooster let out a crow, and the once dark orchard was now lush with vibrant green and red colors, which were brought to life thanks to the first ray of sunlight of the new day.

"Yee-haw! It's officially Apple Bucking Day!"

It was that time of the year once more, the time where Applejack would buck the fresh new apples from the trees to make her family's best apple-themed treats and drinks. After all, Sweet Apple Acres was the best place in Ponyville to get apple pie, apple fritters, apple cider, apple juice, apple sauce, anything. The happy country pony galloped through the orchard, mercerized by the shiny bright apples just begging to be bucked.

"Look at all those apples! Ripe and juicy, perfect for bucking'!"

She did not waste a second and bucked the very first tree, happily admiring the stunning fruit that fell around her. The shining apples of red and green shined like the gems in Rarity's outfits. But, sadly, that moment came to a devastating halt.

When the first apple landed on her hooves, it splattered into gussy yellow much, as if the apple itself had lots its juice and was sucked up dry. The rest was said for the apples that landed on the ground around her. They had all been dried out.

"What the heck is goin' on?"

Then, suddenly, Applejack heard the sound of flapping wings and screeching noises. Her eyes widened and she gasped in shock.

"They're back!"

(~)

The fire bender watched in astonishment as the female Avatar gently healed the fox's wounded paw with her water bending. She and Mako were visiting Fluttershy at her cottage, Korra had offered to help Fluttershy tend to her injured animals.

This side of Korra was one of the many things that made Mako feel extremely lucky to have met her. While the Avatar was mostly hot-headed, independent, and resilient, she possessed such a caring and even motherly side towards animals, which would explain a whole lot more of her close relationship to the ponies, and her being so openly welcome to the rest of the town pony folk.

The fox nuzzled Korra's hand lovingly, earning a smile from the Avatar. "You're very welcome, little one."

"Thank you so much for helping me with the animals, Korra," Fluttershy said thankfully.

"Anytime, Flutters," she said sweetly. Mako noticed one of the baby badgers nudging on his leg. "I think they like you," Korra said as she stood up and approached Mako. She squatted down and took the badger into her arms, allowing Mako to pet it. "Relax, he won't bite."

Mako, with a bit of hesitation, reached out and patted the baby's head. The little mammal let out a happy squeak, making the young man smile. But the one smile that lit up his heart was the one Korra gave him.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of a bell ringing. "That sounds like it's coming from Sweet Apple Acres," said Fluttershy.

The bell was also heard by a certain alicorn princess and her dragon assistant, as well as an earthbender who was helping Pinkie Pie with some Sugar deliveries and a raven-haired heiress who was getting her hair done by a certain white unicorn. They all stopped what they were doing and rushed to where the sound was coming from.

(~)

The bell of the Apple Acres barn rang loudly. The rest of the Mane Six, along with Spike and Team Avatar arrived at the barn.

"Attention! This is a Sweet Apple Acres code red! I need all hooves, hands – and claws – on deck!"

"Calm down, Applejack," said Rarity.

"Calm down?! How can I calm down at a time like this?! Vampire fruit bats are attackin' Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Fruit-what-nows?" Korra asked.

"Fruit bats!" Applejack repeated, "They sucked all of the new apples dry!"

"But I thought the fruit bats usually stayed put in the west orchard," said Twilight.

"The fruit bats do, but these aren't just your everyday ordinary fruit bats. They're vampire fruit bats!"

Bolin began to quiver in fear, "Vampire bats?!"

"I'm sure it's not that kind of vampire, Bolin," Asami assured him while speaking in a kind manner.

"I'll be darned if they think they're gonna sink their fangs into my blue ribbon apple." Applejack removed a white blanket that was covering a very large, very bright, looking apple that had the tree it was attached to, bend over due to its size. The group was amazed by this treasure.

"Wow!"

"This here's our entry into the Appleloosa State Fair's produce competition." she exhaled her breath onto the apple, using her tall to polish it, "You know how much TLC goes into getting an apple to grow like this?"

Rarity admired the shiny apple, primarily the fact she could see her reflection in it, "Applejack! When you go big, you really go big!"

"Them vampire bats want to shrivel it up like a raisin!"

"And you want us to help you get rid of 'em, right?" Korra said.

"Exactly!" Applejack winked. But Fluttershy had a different mindset on the matter.

"Oh, I'm sure if we just let them know how special that particular apple is to you, they'll leave it alone."

"Yeah, right. Be my guest." A.J. said sarcastically.

Korra approached the pegasus, "Fluttershy, have you ever even talked to a vampire bat before?"

"Well, um…no. But there's a first time for everything. Right?"

Korra knew she had lost this argument since the pegasus used her own words against her. Which, ironically, made her feel proud.

(~)

Fluttershy flew up towards a tree, the ground was covered in shriveled up apples, and the tress looked almost a pitch black. She opened her mouth to try and speak with the creatures, "Um, excuse me, Mr. Vampire Bat--" another rotten apple was tossed to the ground before her. "We were just wondering if maybe you wouldn't mind leaving that really big apple alone?"

She patiently waited for a reply, smiling hopefully. The only response she got was a patch of seeds hammering at her face. A sure sign to tell her to go away, which she did.

She walked up to Applejack while removing the seeds from her mane with her wing.

"Well? What'd he say?" A.J. asked.

"Um… yes."

Applejack smiled at this news.

"But… it could've been a no."

Applejack's mood dropped.

"This is the first vampire fruit bat I've ever met and, well, it might take some time for me to really understand their language."

Applejack arched an eyebrow, "Uh-huh. And in the meantime, this pest and his vermin friends are gonna go after my prized apple and, while they're at it, every other apple in the orchard! These vampire bats are nothin' but a bunch of monsters!"

Fluttershy gasped, "Monsters?!"

"Uh, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Korra said, cringing a bit. Sure, these bats weren't what she would call "adorable", but monsters were a bit of a stretch.

"No, I do not."

As the bats flew out of the tree, music filled the air.

Applejack;

Those vampire bats will give you a fright

Eating apples both day and night

They rest for a minute, maybe three

Then there eatin' every apple in your apple tree

As she sang, more fruit bats but on the apples, sucking them dry as the remains landed in front of her hooves.

They don't care about nada, not zilch, no, nothin'

'Cept bringin' about an orchard's destruction

Bolin shrieked when the bast flew around him. Korra nudged at Fluttershy to say something

Fluttershy;

Now wait just a minute, there's another side to this

And if I did not defend them, then I would be remiss

She flew to one of the trees, where a sweet-looking family of bats, a mother, father, and baby, rested peacefully on a branch.

These bats are mamas and papas too

They care for their young just like we ponies do

The baby bat flew around Fluttershy, nuzzling her face before flying down and landing on Korra's head, snuggling on it as if it were a bed. She had to admit, this little one was pretty cute.

But Applejack wasn't buying this.

Applejack;

Oh, give me a break, you're bein' too kind

These creatures have a one-track mind

The orchard is not their restaurant

But do they ever think what others may want?

No! They don't! And that is just a fact

These bats, they simply don't know how to act

She angrily shooed away two bats fighting over an apple.

Fluttershy;

That's where I have to disagree

They're loyal to their family

Spreading seeds both far and wide

Applejack;

You see one comin', you'd better run and hide!

She wrapped herself around a blanket, giving the impression of a bat, as she sang the next part of her song while demonstrating the devastating state her trees were now in due to the creatures.

They're big and ugly and mean as sin

Will ya look at the state my trees are in?

Fluttershy;

They help your trees, they'll grow stronger faster

Applejack;

They've turned my life to a total disaster!

It now seemed Fluttershy was the only one who disagreed with Applejack, as the rest of the Mane Six and Team Avatar began to agree as well.

Asami;

Well, I for one don't have a doubt

Rarity;

These vermin must be--

Asami and Rarity;

--stamped right out

Rainbow Dash;

I second that, they've got to go

Rainbow and Bolin;

These bats, they've got to hit the road

Applejack;

It comes down to just one simple fact

They've crossed the line, it's time to fight them back!

Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash all galloped around Fluttershy, chanting and singing in unison. Fluttershy, Korra, and Mako were the only ones not singing while Asami and Bolin were.

Stop the bats! Stop the bats!

Make them go and not come back!

Stop the bats! Stop the bats!

Make them go and not come back!

Stop the bats! Stop the bats!

Make them go and not come back!

Applejack;

Yes, it comes down to just one simple fact

They've crossed the line, it's time that we attack!

Once the song came to a close, Korra stepped forward and crunched down to comfort a worried Fluttershy. "I get you're upset about this Applejack, but I think Fluttershy makes a good point too."

Applejack was pretty surprised by this, especially when it came from Korra. But not everypony agreed. Rarity stepped forward, "I'm sorry, Korra, but I believe Applejack has made the better argument. These vampire fruit bats sound downright dreadful."

"Exactly. So let's get to roundin' them bats up so they don't destroy the rest of my orchard," said Applejack.

Pinkie Pie began hopping singing to the tune of Winter Wrap Up, "Fruit bat round-up, fruit bat round-up!"

Fluttershy then spoke up, "Um, excuse me, but, um, what if instead of rounding them up, we... let them have part of the orchard?"

Applejack whinnied in shock before turning around to face the pegasus, "Have you lost your pest-lovin' mind?!"

"Actually, I think she's onto something," Korra said, surprising the others.

"What are you talkin' about?!"

"We do have a type of fruit bats back in our world too. The Monarch Flutter Bat found in the Fire Nation, and from what Fluttershy described they share the same characteristics. After they eat the fruit, they spit out the seeds, so once they hit the ground more and stronger trees grow in their place." Korra explained… which left behind a few bewildered, blinking expressions.

"How did you know that?" Bolin asked.

"I read it in a book once," Korra said with a casual shrug, which still left a lot of the others surprised. Korra pouted in annoyance and groaned. "The compound I grew up in had a library, I needed something to kill my boredom when I got grounded."

"Korra is right. Besides, they're only here because they're hungry!" Fluttershy explained, "If we build a sanctuary for them, they could have their apples to enjoy. After a while, they could even help the rest of your orchard. The vampire bats don't eat the seeds of the apples, and when they spit them out, they grow into even more productive apple trees!"

"Which is exactly what I just said." Korra pointed out.

But sadly, the stubborn Applejack did not approve, "Listen, guys. That sounds real nice 'n' all, but every second we spend buildin' this so-called 'sanctuary' is a second they'll spend destroyin' orchards! You don't know what it was like the last time there was an infestation, but Granny Smith has told me enough stories about it that just the thought of it gives me nightmares!" she shivered, "Granny says we lost a huge section of the orchard that year. They had to ration out apples all winter!"

"What about the cider?" Rainbow asked hopefully, "There was still cider, right?"

"Not…a…drop."

This was enough to get the spirited pegasus all up in a frenzy. "No cider?! No cider?! We need to round up these monsters, and we need to do it now!"

"What's the big deal?" Asami asked, "It's just juice."

Rainbow narrowed her eyes at her, her nose practically touching hers, before zipping away at top speed, creating a gust of wind that caused Asami's hair to cover her face. Once she removed all of it, Rainbow Dash arrived in five seconds flat with a bottle of apple cider in her hooves.

"Try. This!"

The heiress complied, arched an eyebrow, and took a sip of the liquid. At first, she was indifferent, then her eyes snapped open, and stood perfectly still. Bolin waved his hand in front of her face. "Asami? You okay?"

Almost immediately, the heiress grabbed his collar, now looking fiercely determined. "Bats need to go now!"

Applejack spoke once more, "If Granny Smith wasn't with Apple Bloom an' Big Mac checkin' out our produce competition in Appleloosa, she'd be here tellin' us to do just that!"

Fluttershy's ears lowered in sadness as Twilight approached her, "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I think Applejack is right."

Bolin tapped his chin in thought, "If only we could somehow convince the bats not to eat the apples in the first place."

Twilight gasped in realization, "Maybe there is! Bolin, you're a genius!"

"I am? I am! How am I a genius again?"

(~)

Everyone gathered at Twilight's library and the princess found a special spell in one of her books. "So, there's good news and bad news." she said, "The good news is that I found a spell that can get the vampire fruit bats to stop wanting to suck the juice from the apples. But for the spell to work, I need the bats' complete attention." as she said the last sentence, Twilight was looking at Fluttershy.

"Oh no."

"Fluttershy, I need you to do your Stare on the bats."

"Oh, gosh, I don't know."

"What's the problem?" Rainbow asked, "You've used the Stare plenty of times before! Heck, you used it to scare an equalist right out of his biplane!"

"Yes, but it's not something I take lightly. I've made a vow not to use it except in dire circumstances."

"This circumstance is plenty dire to me!" said Applejack.

"Me too!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash in despair, "Think of the cider! Won't somepony please think of the cider?!"

Asami then took the pony in her arms in sympathy, "Seriously! Have you no souls?!" Mako, Bolin, and Korra looked at Asami with slight fear and concern, then at one another and then back at Asami. "What?" she asked…right after the bottle of cider fell from her back pocket, already empty.

"Did you drink all that cider?" Korra asked.

"Maybe. Kind of. So what if I did? Mind your own business!" the heiress was uncharacteristically jittery which came as a concern to the teens. Asami squatted down and pleated to Fluttershy, "Please Fluttershy, do it for the cider--I mean, me--I mean, Applejack!"

"I'm sorry. I just don't like the idea of taking away the thing that makes the vampire fruit bats Vampire fruit bats! It just feels wrong!"

"But if we don't do this, there won't be any apples left for anypony here in Ponyville." said Twilight, "Doesn't that feel wrong, too?"

Fluttershy looked up at Korra for suggestions or motivation, however, even the Avatar didn't know what else to do. They both didn't want to harm the creatures, but being torn between their friends was too much to bear. The Mane Six all knew how Korra was feeling, as well as Fluttershy, but they all agreed that the bats needed to be taken care of.

Korra then spoke up, "The spell won't harm them physically, will it?" she asked the alicorn. She read a few words on the page and shook her head. "Okay, listen. If Fluttershy agrees to this, right after Applejack bucks all of the apples, Twilight reverses the spell on the bats and then we can calmly figure out what to do with them afterward. Does that sound fair?" The ponies immediately agreed to this plan. Even Mako was surprised by this.

"So what's it gonna be, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked, "Will you do your Stare on the bats or not?"

"Um… Um... Okay, I'll do it."

Asami pounded her fists into the air, cheering, "Yes!" she noticed all eyes were on her, "I mean…good choice."

"Agreed." said Rarity, "I knew you wouldn't side with those icky bats!" she whimpered in disgust.

"They're not icky," Fluttershy said with scorn.

(~)

Back at the farm, Applejack stood before the group, "Alright, everyone. We've gotta round up these beasts with wings first. Time's a-wastin'!"

First, Applejack tied several apples on Pinkie Pie's head, looking like a fruit hat from a fiesta. The pink pony hopped along, grabbing the attention of various bats. Bolin and Asami gathered the bats with baskets of apples. Once swarm began chasing after Bolin and he began screaming as the bats chased him. Rarity, while wearing a contamination suit, levitated a butterfly net to try and capture a bat hanging from a tree. In the process, the net had hit the tree, causing an apple to land on Rarity's mask and slat all over it. The bat smelled the sweet aroma and landed on the unicorn's mask, liking the juice and frightening the pony. She galloped away while screaming in disgust.

"Ew, ew, ew, Ewwww!"

Another group of bats was eating some applied and spitted out the seeds when Rainbow Dash came swooping in to grab them.

"Gotcha!"

The pegasus gathered more and more bats. Pinkie giggled when she placed the apples near a tree, which also had buckets of apples on the branches. Rarity, and the bast that followed her, also stopped there to eat the apples. Bolin and Asami came in and handed the baskets to Twilight and Fluttershy who placed them on the branches. Korra used her airbending to lift the apples which lead a large swarm to the tree and Rainbow Dash came in with the bats she had captured with her speed. The entire tree was now filled with vampire fruit bats.

"Good work, everybody!" Applejack said proudly, "I think we got 'em all!"

"Not all of them!" Mako came shouting and running with another patch of apples and a swarm of bats chasing him. Twilight came in and took the basket, placing it on the branch and Mako stopped to catch his breath. "Glad that's over!"

Applejack then turned to Fluttershy, "Now all we need is for you do to your Stare."

But Fluttershy was still unsure, "Oh, um, are you sure I need--"

Korra squatted down and petted her head, "It won't be for good. Once the spell is reversed we'll find a better home for them. I promise."

"Okay." the sad pegasus flew up to the bats who were already sucking the apples, "I really, really, really hate to do this to you... I just hope you can forgive me…"

Fluttershy closed her eyes for a brief moment, feeling sincere regret for what she was about to do. She opened her eyes, giving the bats the Stare. The creatures hissed at her first, but then they stopped, seeming as if they were locked in a trance.

Applejack smiled in relief at their progress, "Good… Now you go, Twilight!"

Before she could activate the spell, she looked up at the worried Avatar, "I promise I'll remove the spell once the harvest is done."

Korra still felt uncertain but nodded her head. So long as this meant she didn't have to pick sides between her friends. She hated that immensely.

While Fluttershy continued doing her Stare, Twilight activated the spell. Her horn glowed a bright magenta as did the bats, who were still under the trance. During the event, Korra couldn't take her eyes off of Fluttershy, who's intimidating glare was glued straight onto the bats. Suddenly, Korra felt something was off. She couldn't put her finger on it and it didn't seem like something that great. But still, she felt a slight uneasiness in her stomach. Small but it was still there.

Once the spell was done both Twilight's horn and the bats stopped glowing. The alicorn nodded to the others. The deed was done.

"You can stop staring, Fluttershy." Twilight said.

The yellow pegasus ended her glare and looked down at her friends.

"Did it work?" Spike asked.

"Only one way to find out for sure." said Applejack. She nodded her head at Rainbow Dash who nodded in return.

One of the bast rubbed his eyes, feeling like he had just woken up from a dream, when Rainbow offered him and apple to eat. The bat sniffed it twice before turning away in disinterest and flew off. Rainbow cheered with delight, "Ye-he-heah, whoo!"

Even Asami was jumping up and down with joy, "Yeah! Whoo hoo!"

But none were as happy as Applejack was. "My crop is saved! Yee-haw!"

"We'll be drinking cider all winter long!" cheered Rainbow Dash. Asami surprised her with a hug.

"First round's on me!"

"I wanna thank you for your help." said Applejack, "I couldn't have done it without you."

Spike smiled proudly, "Aw, don't mention it, Applejack. It was my pleasure! Really!" The others arched an eyebrow as Spike walked ahead proudly.

"Now all we gotta do is sweep up these cores so I can start buckin' fresh tomorrow morning'!" Applejack was surprised when Asami was now suddenly face with face with her.

"Then you can make more apple cider right? Right?!"

Asami's new attitude still concerned the other teens. "Asami, you sure you're feeling okay?" Bolin asked, almost scared to hear her response. Or rather how she would respond.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?" the heiress smiled, right before her eyes began to twitch, which only concerned the others even more.

"Oh, no reason." Mako said, feeling more and more concerned, "You just seem a bit… jittery is all."

"Jittery? I'm not jittery. Why would you think I'm jittery? Maybe you're jittery!"

Korra gently took the heiress by the shoulder, "Yeah, why don't we just take you home?"

The two brothers led Asami away while the others walked beside them. But then, Korra noticed that Fluttershy was silent. Very silent. The pegasus was staring very strangely at one of the fallen apples. The Avatar tried to get the pony's attention.

"Fluttershy?" but she completely ignored her, still fixated onto the juicy red fruit. "Fluttershy? Hey, are you listening to m---OW!!"

Korra had tapped on Fluttershy's head to get her attention, only to suddenly have the pony bite her wrist in response. Korra quickly removed her hand and rubbed the place her friend had bitten her. The others heard her scream and Mako was the first to rush towards her.

"Korra!"

Fluttershy shook her head, trying to make sense of what she just did. "Wha…? What happened?" she noticed the bite mark on Korra's wrist and she gasped, "Oh my goodness! Did I--Korra, I'm so sorry! I didn't know what came over me!"

Mako narrowed his eyes at the pony, "Fluttershy, what's gotten into you?!"

"I--I don't know! I--I'm so sorry!"

Korra placed a hand on his shoulder, "Mako, it's okay."

"She bit you!"

"I'm fine! Look, it's been a long day for all of us. Let's just get some rest."

But everyone was still deeply concerned for their friends. Why did Fluttershy bite Korra all of a sudden? It didn't make any sense. Realizing they weren't going to let it go, Korra had to forcibly shove Mako a few feet away to get her point across.

"I'm fine! Let's just go home." the Avatar walked off, leaving a very confused and devastated Fluttershy behind.

(~)

That night, back at Air Temple Island, Korra was in the bathroom, washing her arm. She could still feel the sting from Fluttershy's bite. Which was still a mystery as to why she did such a thing. I wasn't like Fluttershy to do this. Did something go wrong during the spell?

Korra winced as she bended the glowing waters around her wrist. "Man, I never knew Flutters had such sharp teeth." Suddenly, almost as if my magic, the bite marks dissolved into her skin and her wrist was all healed. "That was…weird." Korra jolted upwards in shock when her mentor's voice called out to her.

"Korra, time for diner!"

(~)

At diner, Korra still couldn't stop looking at her wrist. The bite mark was gone but she felt…different. She soon realized with as due to hunger. She hadn't realized it but she was very, very hungry. Starving even.

Pema walked into the room with a bowl of fruit, for which caught Korra's eye. Primarily the apples.

"Hope you guys brought our appetite." said the mother in a cheerful tone, her white teeth gleaming underneath the lantern on the ceiling.

Pema placed Korra's plate in front of her but, one look at the food and suddenly Korra lost any interest in eating the steaming hot rice and various other fruits. The only fruit she hat set her eyes one were the red, juicy bright ones in the bowl centered on the table.

Tenzin placed his hands together, he and the rest of the family said their prayers. But even when Korra tried to focus, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the apples. Her stomach growled for them, Tenzin's voice turning mute and all she could see, and think about, were the apples. She heard Tenzin say something that ended the prayer and Meelo reached out for an apple first. Only to have his wrist grabbed by Korra at lightning speed.

"Huh?" Meelo looked at Korra in confusion and the Avatar finally came back to her senses, realizing her tight grip on the young airbender's wrist.

"Korra? If you wanted one you could have just asked." Tenzin asked in surprise.

Korra released the Meelo's wrist, not having place a lot of strength into it, and sat up straight. "Sorry. Can I have some?"

"Of course." Pema said while handing out the bowl to her, still a bit perplexed by what just happened. "Take as many as you'd--" her eyes widened at the exhilaratingly fast way Korra took all of the apples from the bowl, leaving behind all the others. "--like?"

The family watched, rather surprised and puzzled, as the Avatar practically gorged herself in nothing but the apples. She ate them almost as if they were the last food on earth, not once touching the rest of her food. They knew she had a large appetite but this was stretching it. Korra ate the apples in less than five minutes, leaving only the seeds behind and not even the core of the apples remained. She let out a small burp and covered her mouth.

"Excuse me." she got up and stretched her arms, her jaw outstretched as she jawed. "Thanks for dinner." she said gratefully and prepared to leave.

"But, you haven't eaten the rest of your food, sweetheart." Pema mentioned, pointing at the untouched meal.

"I'm already pretty stuffed, but thanks." Korra walked out of the room cheerfully, leaving the rest of the family to stare at one another, silently asking the same question.

What just happened?

(~)

Korra tossed and turned in her sleep. Her body was sweating, she couldn't rest. She was hungry again. The hunger burned like wildfire in her stomach, clawing at her insides like an angry wild animal. Her throat was dry as if she had been walking in the scorching hot desert son for weeks. Maybe months. Her closed eyes twitched and squinted. All she could see were apples.

Those big… red… mouth waveringly sweet, juicy, crunchy, delectable apples. The images wouldn't leave no matter how hard Korra willed them to. It was then she realized, she didn't wish to forget.

Her eyes snapped open and sprang towards the window, moving like a gust of wind, not once awakening the sleeping Naga. The Avatar scouted the gardens, her nose up high, sniffing the air while some droll dripped from the left side of her lower lip. She knew she had smelled it. It was near.

She heard the sound of a lemur who flew down from a tree to grab an apple. But just as it was about to take a bite, the little creature heard the Avatar call out to it from the tree branch. Her ominously low and raspy voice pierced through the nighttime silence like a knife cutting through skin.

"Mine."

Korra lunged forward to grab her meal. The lemur flew away, dropping his apple in the process, which Korra devoured in here seconds. The following morning, none of the apple trees bore any of its namesake fruit.

(~)

"Apple Bucking Day, take two!"

The rooster crowed once the sun rose up over the hills. Just like the day before, she galloped happily.

"Yee-haw!"

With the bats gone, she could finally buck the apples in peace. "Time to collect those juicy, sweet apples!" she bucked the first tree and happily watched as the first apple fell.

Her happiness quickly died once the once beautiful apple was now splattered onto the ground.

(~)

Twilight couldn't believe it. "The spell didn't work!" she said in shock. The apples were still sucked up dry just like the fruit bats left them the previous day. Team Avatar and the Mane Six were gathered at the orchard when Applejack called them to see what she had uncovered.

"You're darn tootin' the spell didn't work!" said the angry country pony.

"But this doesn't make sense." Mako said, scratching the back of his head, "We saw it work fine yesterday."

"Maybe it had an eight hour timer or something?" Bolin said, "What do you think Korra?"

But the Avatar wasn't looking so well. Ever since she woke up this morning she had felt like an anvil had hit her head. Strands of hair stuck out messily from her ponytails, and somewhat faded dark bangs hung under her eyes. She posture was sluggish and every once in a while she kept dozing off, and she felt her stomach was about to explode.

"You sure you're alright, darling?" Rarity asked with concern.

"You've been acting like this all morning." Mako said, placing a hand over her forehead. She didn't have a fever.

"I'm okay." she insisted, "I just didn't sleep so well last night."

"I think we're gonna have to take more extreme measures!" said Applejack, focusing on the task at hand.

"I hear ya, Applejack!" said Rainbow Dash, "C'mon, everybody! Let's track down those vampire bats!"

The team rushed towards the trees where the bats all stood, completely calm….and not eating any of the apples that were on the tree they stood on.

"They're not eating anything." said Asami.

Indeed she was right. None of the bats ate the apples. In fact, some were even using them as chairs to read a book. How in Equestria they ever got those books (or knew how to read) was beyond them.

Rainbow offered a reading vampire bat an apple, but he only swatted it away from her hoof, not once prying his eyes off of the pages. Rainbow winced when the apple landed on Rarity's horn.

"Wait a minute... I don't think these bats are the ones that sucked my apples dry." Applejack said in realization.

"But if the vampire bats aren't eating your apples who is?" Rarity asked, after removing the fruit from her horn.

"Fluttershy, you're our animal expert," Twilight said, "Do you know of any other creature that might be capable of this?"

"I'm sorry. I don't." Fluttershy replied. Their guess was as good as hers. The spell seemed to still be working, much to Fluttershy's distaste, but if the bast hadn't eaten the apples, then what did. Only a vampire fruit bat could cause this, maybe more given how there were even more sucked up dry apples spread across the field than last time.

Mako took one of the rotten apples and studied it. "There's only one way to find out." he said.

Twilight nodded her head, thinking the same thing. "We'll have to catch whoever it is in the act."

"Exactly!"

"And how do you propose we do that?" Rarity asked.

"A stakeout!" both firebender and alicorn said in unison, catching everyone, and even themselves by surprise.

(~)

"The witching hour…" Rainbow said in a spookily voice as she and the others walked the orchard at night. The moon was full and the ground was shrouded with rotten cored apples, leftover by the mysterious creature.

Bolin shivered at the pony's spooky voice. "Could you please not talk like that."

"Keep it together Bolin." said his brother, right after he heard the sound of an owl hooting in the distance. Bolin instinctively clung on to his brother, who only sighed while shaking his head.

"Maybe we should just call this off." said Fluttershy, "Not sure about the rest of you guys, but I'm really hungry…" she said the last word as she gazed up at a single in tact apple hanging from a tree. Drool dripped from her mouth before she gulped and snapped herself out of it.

"Oh, Fluttershy, it'll be okay." Rarity said in encouragement, "Don't forget, darling, we're all in this together. Right Korra?…Korra?"

Rarity noticed that, like Fluttershy, Korra too had become distracted, her gaze pined to another in tact apple. Her lips were slightly parted, her tongue licking the side of her upper lip. Mako snapped his fingers in front of Korra's face, and the Avatar shook her head, blinking in surprise.

"Huh? What?"

"You zoned out." he said, "You feeling okay?"

"I told you, I'm fine!" she said defensively, "Will you stop pestering me?" Korra realized her outburst, which really was out of context. Korra immediately regretted her actions, "I'm so sorry. I guess I'm a little hungry too. Let's just find this thing and get it over with."

Korra walked on ahead, while the others briefly shared worried looks before following her as well. Fluttershy flew up to the Avatar. "Korra, are you still mad about what happened yesterday?"

Korra stopped and spoke sweetly to the pony, "No, sweetie. I'm not mad."

"I still don't know why I bit you. It's so not like me."

"You were probably stressed from everything that happened. Don't worry about it."

"Does everybody have their signals?" Applejack asked.

Rarity and Twilight used their horns to create magic beams in the sky in the same symbols as their cutie marks. Pinkie Pie took out a flashlight, which she held with her bang, and shined a signal with balloons identical to her cutie mark. Bolin and Asami both had flashlights, Asami's depicted the Future Industries Logo while Bolin's was that of the Earth Kingdom emblem.

"Now remember, only use the signal if you see somethin' suspicious."

Both Bolin and Pinkie saluted, "Got it!"

"Something suspicious…" Pinkie Pie said. The two got started right away in spotting anything suspicious at all. Pinkie Pie noticed Fluttershy sniffing an apple. She pointed the flashlight at the pegasus, startling her.

"Whatcha doin'?!"

Flutteshy shook her head rapidly, as if she had been in a daze. She galloped away while Pinkie Pie placed her flashlight back into her mane, while eying Fluttershy suspiciously.

Applejack stopped at the entrance of a picket fence, "Alright, now everybody split up. We'll each patrol our own row of the orchard. Whoever orwhatever's destroyin' my apples has gotta be here somewhere."

The ponies, teens and dragon each split apart from one another to search for the mysterious creature. Mako, however, spotted where Korra was heading and inconspicuously followed her.

(~)

Korra walked around the orchard, looking for any signs of the creature. She heard a twig break and spun around with fire daggers at the ready.

"Easy, it's just me!"

Korra lowered her defenses once she realized it was just the firebender. "Mako? What are you doing? A.J. said to split up."

"I know, I just wanted to mark sure you were alright."

"Mako, I know you're protective, but I can take care of myself."

"That's not what I mean. You've been acting strange ever since Fluttershy bit you, which in of itself is strange."

"Will you just give it a rest, already? I told you, I'm--AH!" Korra never got to finish her sentence. She clenched her stomach, getting down on her knees and Mako rushed to her aid.

"Korra!"

The Avatar groaned, her skin turning pale. "So…hungry…"

She must be suffering from low blood sugar. Mako gently placed her beside a tree and went in search for something. He spotted and apple from a second tree and quickly took it.

"Here, I found…Korra?" once he turned around, Korra was gone. She was nowhere in sight. "Korra? Korra!"

(~)

Fluttershy continued down her path across the orchard. "I have a bad feeling about this. A really bad feeling about this…" her eyes caught sight of a bright apple hanging from a tree. Suddenly, her once teal eyes began to change color to a blood red. She gazed upon the fruit, mesmerized by its appetizing appearance.

"That apple... It looks...so juicy... and sweet…"

(~)

"Korra? Where are you?"

Suddenly, a flash of brown swooped down and stood in front of Mako. The figure was partly shadowed as it snarled at him. The creature moved in closer and Mako could make out its body shape. It was the body of a human, but had claws on booths its hands and feet, huge wings and piercing red eyes. Once the moonlight shined on the figure, Mako immediately recognized who it was.

"K…Korra?"

It was indeed Korra! Somehow she had now turned…into a half-bat creature! Her hair was messy, her pants were torn to reveal her clawed feet, and her hands had long sharp claws and bat wings were on her head. Her once beautiful eyes were now piercing red.

Mako didn't know what to do now, he couldn't fight Korra. He didn't have to when the creature lunged forward but Mako jumped away in time. However, it was not him she was aiming after…but the apple he had found. She bit on the fruit, revealing her long vampire fangs and sucked the fruit dry. She spun around to face Mako, who was still unsure on what to do next. All she did was snarl and flew off into the night. Mako quickly got up and ran to find his friends.

(~)

Pinkie Pie and Bolin suddenly heard something run across the trees. "What was that?!" Pinkie Pie asked.

Bolin gasped, "Look!" he pointed towards a rotten apple, splattered on the ground, completely dry of juice.

Pinkie Pie inspected it closely before exclaiming, "Suspicious!" she giggled, "It's pony signal time!"

Somehow, someway, her bang came to life and too out her flashlight. But before she could use her signal, the same figure ran past them again, hidden in the shadows. Bolin yelped in fear and grabbed Pinkie Pie into his arms while he trembled.

(~)

Rarity hatted having to walk around a scary orchard at night. She saw a shadow past through the ground. "Who's there?" she asked.

Above her head, she saw what appeared to be some kind of large figure flying above her head. As large as one of her human friends.

"Oh, well, there's obviously no need to worry about that shadowy figure overhead... " then, the same figure swooped over her once more. With her horn, Rarity levitated the water from her waterskin and readied herself. "Alright, whatever you are…bring it!"

She spotted something rustling in the bushes and her eyes narrowed in determination. She galloped ahead, water whip in tow, and hurled the water at her opponent.

"OW!"

Rarity stopped and slid to a halt. "Huh? Wait a second. I recognize that voice." The figure stood up, rubbing his head from the powerful water attack. "Mako? Where did you come from?"

"I was trying to find you guys. It's about Korra!"

"Where is she?"

Before he could reply, the figure flew above them once more. "Maybe we should pick a better place to talk."

"Agreed. Let's go find Rainbow Dash."

(~)

Rainbow Dash was laser shaper focused as she hovered around the orchard. She then spotted a strange animal-like shadow fly right above her.

"Uh… who's there?" the wind blew on the levees and Rainbow caught sight of something from a few feet away.

"Answer me or you'll regret it!" but despite her warning, the figure did not respond. "Fine, have it your own way!" with fire in her hooves, Rainbow speeded towards the figure and began attacking it, "Take that, you, you, you... scarecrow…?"

Her opponent turned out to be nothing but hey and some old clothing, which was now singed with small flames. Then, another figure flew overhead, this one being much larger than the previous one. There was definitely something among them.

(~)

Asami and Twilight heard the owls hooting in the distance but then they spotted Applejack's signal up above. A light with three apples.

The two reached the country pony, who had her flashlight standing straight on the ground, her mouth and eyes wide open in baffled shock.

"Applejack, what is it?" Asami asked until she looked at what Applejack was looking at and her eyes and mouth two widened.

Twilight was at a loss for words when the others arrived as well. Mako and Rarity were the last ones to arrive.

"Guys! Thank goodness! We--" Mako cut himself short once he saw what they were all looking at.

Hanging from a tree branch were not one, but two figures, wrapped up like cocoons. Pinkie PIe hung onto the branch, also upside down, showing the flashlight at the two creatures.

"Suspicious!"

The first, smaller, creature opened up its wings to reveal itself as….Fluttershy! Now a bat-pony! Her yellow coat was now darker in color, her eyes were red and her mane was messy. Her cutie mark was now three pink bats instead of butterflies and she had two sharp fangs in her mouth and her once feathery wings were now bat wings. The creature next to her was the now bat-Korra. The two hissed and snarled at the ponies.

Fluttershy's tongue stuck out and she sucked the juice out of an apple. Korra did the same with another apple nearby. Pinkie Pie tried to get their attention.

"Fluttershy? Korra? Yoo-hoo!"

Both the bat pony and Avatar hissed at Pinkie, causing her to fall from the branch.

"That's not Fluttershy…" Rarity gasped, "That's Flutterbat!"

"And Korra!" Bolin began, "She's turned into….KorraBat!…..yeah, doesn't really cary the same drama, does it?"

"We've gotta get them down from there!" Twilight stated.

Asami shoved Mako forward, "Try talking to her!"

"Me?!"

"No, Amon. Yes you!"

Mako gulped and tried to talk to the now vampire pony and woman. "Uh…Korra, Fluttershy, could you guys maybe come down so we can talk?"

"And, please, do stop being vampire bats." said Rarity.

However, the two simply hissed in response before sucking up more apples. Rainbow Dash flew up to the two to try and knock some sense into them both. "Korra! Fluttershy! It's me, Rainbow Dash! Why don't you cut the bat act and come on down?!"

Fluttershy hissed as she opened up her wings and slapped Rainbow Dash away.She yelped as she spun in mid air before stoping, looking surprised at Fluttershy's brute strength.

"Whoa! Maybe we should just let them come down when they're ready."

"Look out!" Asami exclaimed before she and the others ducked down when the two bat creatures flew over them and into the sky.

Pinkie Pie started to panic. "Giant bats on the loose! Run for your lives!" The terrified pony began digging a tunnel when Twilight walked up.

"Pinkie Pie, calm down!" Twilight turned her head back to the two bat hybrids, hanging upside down in another tree. "See? They're back on the… branch."

"They're just biding their time! Waiting for the right moment to pounce!"

Applejack rolled her eyes, "Pinkie Pie, bats don't eat ponies. Not even vampire bats."

"But, maybe vampire ponies eat other ponies!"

Bolin screamed in terror, "Ah! That means a human vampire eats other humans! I'm not taking any chances! Scoot over, sister!" he jumped into the hole with Pinkie Pie and used his earthbending, while Pinkie use her bang (now being used as a drill) to dig a deeper tunnel.

"How did all of this happen?" Asami asked.

"I think this was actually our fault." Mako said with regret.

"Our fault?" Rainbow asked.

"No, I think he's right." said Twilight.

"And how'd you figure that?" Applejack asked.

Twilight then used her magic to create a square image-like hologram as a use of demonstration. In it appeared images of the bats, herself and Fluttershy while Twilight explained the situation.

"Okay, so this is me, these are the bats, and this is Fluttershy doing her Stare." the image showed a sonar-like image appearing out of Fluttershy, demonstrating her Stare's effect." The spell was supposed to go right onto the bats like this, but somehow the spell must have backfired." the image showed the Twilight figure casting her spell and the bats glowed, which then reflected onto Fluttershy, turning her into a bat pony. "It took the vampire fruit bats' desire to be vampire fruit bats and transferred that desire into Fluttershy." the images disappeared.

"But then how did Korra turn into a bat?" Rarity asked, "That's what I don't understand."

"When Fluttrshy bit her!" Mako stated, "It must have caused the same desire Fluttershy had in her system to become transferred into Korra."

Spike was shocked, "Wow! I've heard of girlfriends being like monsters but this is ridiculous!"

"C'mon!" said Twilight, "We'll reverse the spell and make it right!"

The ground opened up and both Bolin and Pinkie popped out. "Then what are we waiting for?" said Pinkie Pie, "Let's save Fluttershy and Korra before those things eat us all!"

"Or bites us!" Bolin added

The Flutterbat and Korrabat hovered over them and swooped down.

"Hit the deck!" cried Rainbow Dash.

Everyone ducked in cover when the creatures flew above them, screaming in terror. Bolin pointed forward, "Follow those bats!"

The group ran off to seek their friends, not realizing they both had landed on a tree branch. They groaned and hissed as their ears began to turn sharp and bat-like. Korra licked her lips, her hunger was still alive. As was Fluttershy's.

(~)

"I can't believe we lost them!" said Rarity.

The friends searched nearly half the night and still no sign of their friends. Twilight was growing more and more worried. "Oh, Korra, Fluttershy, where are you?"

Asami then heard something hissing and turned around, "Found them!"

Korra and Fluttershy swooped down once more, this time landing in front of them. Fluttershy hissed at Applejack while Korra hissed at Asami. The heiress was backed up against a tree as she tried to reason with the vampire girl. Though, do to her dislike of bats in general, that was not going to be easy.

"Uh, hey Korra. Who's a good bat creature? Who's a good, pretty little bat creature?" Asami winced when Korra hissed angrily at her, "Did I mention pretty?--AH!" Asami ducked when Korra came hurling at her, only to realize it was the apple on the tree she was really after before taking off once more.

Fluttershy closed in on Applejack. "Fluttershy? Look, I know you're still in there so please. Please snap out of it?"

But the bat pony only hissed and went after the apple on the tree behind Applejack. Both the bats tossed the now juiceless fruits into the ground. "If they keep this up, your whole crop will be gone in no time!" said Rainbow Dash.

"That's the least of my worries." Applejack said sadly as she watched the two bat creatures fly into the night, "I just want my friends back."

"We can't get them back unless we corner them and reverse the spell!" Mako stated.

"It's no use!" Twilight said in despair, "I think the only way we're gonna catch them is if we find a way to lure them closer to us."

"But even if we can, how are we gonna get them to stay still long enough for you to do your reverse spell?"

"Aww, if only we had Fluttershy to do her Stare on the Flutterbat and Korrabat." said Pinkie Pie.

It was then that Twilight got a brilliant idea, "That's it!"

"What's it?" Bolin asked.

"We get Fluttershy to do her stare!"

"How are you going to do that without getting bitten?"

"You'll see."

(~)

This was the last chance to save their friends. Twilight levitated a large object wrapped in a cloth and placed it on the ground.

"Okay, let's get our friends back." said the alicorn in a determined tone.

Rainbow Dash removed the cloth to reveal the object was in fact Applejack's prize winning apple.

"Action stations!"

Everyone got into their positions and Applejack took a knife in her mouth. Rainbow looked at her with sympathy, "So much for having the winning apple in the Appleloosa State Fair, huh?"

As sad as it was, Applejack knew this sacrifice was needed to save her dear friends. She would never forgive herself if she allowed them to be bats forever.

She sliced the side of the apple, allowing the sweet smelling juice to come pouring out. Rainbow flapped her wings at rapid speed to spread the sweet aroma.

In no time, Fluttershy and Korra immediately caught whiff of the scent and speeded towards their juicy fruit, hissing as they did and their large bat wings flapping.

"They're coming!" Rainbow cried out.

"Now!" At Twilight signal, Mako hurled a rope at Korra, entrapping her waist as she struggled to break free. Bolin tossed another rope, capturing her right arm while Asami capture her left with another rope. The four kept the powerful bat woman at bay while the bat pony was nearing the giant apple. Applejack kicked it away and Fluttershy saw a mirror, held up by Spike, and caught sight of her own reflection.

She tried to fly away but was stopped by another mirror, held by Pinkie Pie. She tried to shake away the hypnotic effect they had on her until she was stopped again by a third mirror, held up by Rarity. Once Fluttershy was stuck in a trance of her own Stare, the Korra bat slowly stopped as well, almost as if she too was under the same spell.

Twilight quickly activated her magic and a magenta glow circled around Fluttershy. The same glow then traveled to Korra, entrapping her as well. From within, the pony and Avatar felt their bodies change. Their ears returned to normal, Korra's wings were no more, Fluttershy's cutie mark was back to butterflies and her coat as pale yellow once more. Korra lost her fangs and claws and her once torn cloths were fixed once again. Once the spell was complete, the glow dispersed into various glowing bats which traveled across the orchard, reaching the fruit bats themselves. Their desire for fruit had returned.

Fluttershy and Korra now laid on the ground. Mako quickly took Korra into his arms while the Mane Six surrounded both her and Fluttershy. The pony was the first to open her eyes, which were back to cyan color.

"Oh… where am I?"

Korra groaned and she too opened her eyes, which were blue once again. The entire group cheered happily. Their friends were back. Mako helped Korra stand up and embraced her in a spinning hug. Korra was still surprised by all of this but hugged him in return.

Applejack hugged Fluttershy, "Thank goodness you're okay! Both of ya'll" she hugged Korra's leg.

"But… what happened?" the Avatar asked.

"I can't remember anything." said Fluttershy.

Pinkie Pie jumped in and explained everything….Well, kind of. "You turned into a vampire pony and Korra was a vampire Avatar!"

"What?!"

"I tried to eat ponies?!" Fluttershy asked in shock.

"I tried to eat people?!" Korra too asked in shock.

"Of course not!" Pinkie Pie said happily.

"So we weren't vampires?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes!" Pinkie replied.

"Yes we were, or yes we weren't?" Korra asked.

"Yes, you were!" Pinkie replied.

"But we didn't try and eat anyone?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes!" Pinkie replied.

"We did?!" Korra asked in shock.

"No!" Pinkie replied, shaking her head.

"I'm confused…" Fluttershy said.

"My head hurts." Korra said, while rubbing said head.

"Mine too... and I was there!" said Rarity.

(~)

The next morning, the vampire bats were now save and happy in their own part of the Apple orchard. Applejack had decided to comply with Fluttershy's previous advice and build a sanctuary for the creatures. Bolin finished hammering the sign that read "Vampire Fruit Bats" and Applejack smiled proudly.

"Looks great, Applejack." Korra said proudly, while a certain little bat rested on her shoulder, "Now the bats can have a place to call home and you'll get bigger and better apple trees for next season." the bat nuzzled against her cheek before flying off to meet his family.

"I'm real sorry I didn't take your suggestion in the first place Fluttershy." said Applejack, taking off her hat in apology.

The pegasus simply smiled, "That's okay. Everything worked out in the end. And now you can have more apples thanks to the seeds."

Rainbow Dash came in between the two, wrapping her hoof around both of them, "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Applejack nodded, "Yup! More cider too."

Rainbow Dash flew up in victory, "Yea-he-heah, whoo!"

Even Asami was delighted, "Yes! Apple cider! Sweet, juicy, cider!"

"No!" the three teens exclaimed in union.

"No more cider for you!" Korra said sternly, "That stuff's making you loopy!"

"And that was just one bottle!" said Mako, "Imagine if she had unlimited free access!"

Asami scoffed, "Please, you're exaggerating." her eyes then snapped open when she heard a bottle cap being popped off, and saw that Pinkie Pie was drinking a familiar liquid.

"Pinkie…where did you get that?"

"Oh, I've it from got my own Apple Cider stash back home."

Asami's left eye started to twitch and the rest of Team Avatar did their best to hold the crazy heiress down as she tried to snatch the bottle from Pinkie Pie.

"Just a sip! Just one!"

"Yeah, she needs an intervention." said Bolin.

(~)

At Fluttershy's cottage, Spike was writing down their latest installment into the journal. "Okay, got the part about the spell, Korra and Fluttershy turning into bats, building a sanctuary…"

"Be sure to put in there that I came to see that my short-term solution was a little short-sighted." said Applejack.

"And that you shouldn't let anypony pressure you into doing something that you don't think is right." said Fluttershy, "Sometimes you have to tell even your closest friends 'no'."

"Now, how about we celebrate our stronger than ever friendship with a nice, ripe, juicy apple?" Applejack showed everyone an apple and Korra immediately felt sick.

"Oh, no please. No more apples for at least three years."

Pinkie Pie poped in wearing fake vampire fangs, "Stand back! I vant to suck its juuuice!"

She bit onto the apple, only to have her fake fangs get stuck in it. Everyone laughed happily at the joke, now feeling their bond had grown even closer than before.

Now if only they could find a way to help Asami with her cider problem.

(~)

"Oh, my! That certainly was a terrifying tale, wasn't it?

But a very important lesson to learn about peer pressure and not picking sides all willy nilly. It's always good to see the neutral side of things. Of course, this was just Korra's first time in this with just her friends. She would need to learn a lot more if she was going to use this in an even bigger situation latter on in her future.

But you all know how that story went.

Tune in next time for another installment of;

Tales of Equestria!

(~)

Chapter 8–Rainbow Falls

View Online

(Trumpets play!)

"Hello everypony! You're all probably wondering why I'm blowing on this trumpet. Well, that's because

(blows again)

The Equestria Games are under way!

But first, our speedy adrenaline queen, Rainbow Dash must get through tryouts for the aerial event! If she does, Ponyville will participate in the games!!

Yahoo!!

Naturally, she picked the best flyers she knew!…or, the closest she could find. Hey, you try finding a pegasus pony who can fly at the speed of sound like Rainbow Dash!

Anyway, while this story may seem like it's more about sports but, in reality, this is a story about Loyalty.

Rainbow Dash is the embodiment of that Element, but what happens when she's confronted with temptation to win?

Let's find out"

*(~)*

Romans 10:10~

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

*(~)*

Rainbow Falls

Rainbow Dash was firm and focused. She knew that there mustn't be any mistakes as she walked in front of the two pegasus ponies (and Angel Bunny, who doesn't really count) in complete commando mode.

"Alright, ponies, listen up!"

"We're all ears." said Fluttershy, standing up straight, "Right, Bulk Biceps?"

The pegasus beside her was twice her size, with a pure white coat and an anatomically bulky body with yellow hooves, a military-styled dirty blond mane, blood red eyes and two golden earrings with a barbell as a cutie mark. Unlike other pegasus ponies, his wings were so tinny they looked like hummingbird wings. It was a miracle he managed to lift himself into the sky to begin with.

"Nuh-uh! I'm all muscles!Yeah!" He demonstrated his strength by kissing his own biceps and flexing them. Constantly shouting 'Yeah!' is his most common cash-phrase.

"I like your attitude, Bulk Biceps," said Rainbow Dash, while still maintaining herself firm, "but it's gonna take more than muscles and Yeah!s to get us to the Equestria Games! We are the Aerial Relay team, and it's up to the three of us to make sure that we qualify at the tryouts. And do I need to remind you how much I - I mean, Ponyville, heh – wants to qualify and make it to the Games?"

"I remember." Fluttershy said, in her usual kind and caring tone, "I really, really, really want to qualify for you and Ponyville."

"Bring it on!" shouted Bulk Biceps with a flare of his nostrils.

Pinkie Pie, as always, appeared in her own time, wearing her own cheerleader's uniform, added with pom poms on her hooves and a megaphone around her neck, "Gimme a 'P' for 'Ponyville'!"

Fluttershy yelped and squatted down due to the extreme loudness as Pinkie shouted through the megaphone. "P, Ponyville!" but as she blew, a powerful gust of wind came shooting from the megaphone, which nearly blew Rainbow Dash away. Sometimes, Pinkie's airbending went out of control due to her uncontrollable enthusiasm. Thankfully, nopony was blow away….this time.

"P!" Bulk Biceps added by shouting loudly.

Once the noise died down, Fluttershy got back up, "Oh, thanks, Pinkie Pie. That was a scary- I mean, great cheer." she laughed nervously.

"Just make sure you have one ready for when we qualify for the Aerial Relay." Rainbow told the pink airbender pony.

Bulk Biceps shouted once more, "And after that, for when we win gold medals in the Equestria Games!"

"Not so fast!"

Their heads turned to see Applejack, pulling a cart filled with delicious treats, along with Avatar Korra and Asami Sato.

"If you're gonna be good, you're gonna be better with some of my apple brown bettys in ya." Applejack smiled proudly, "They're perfect."

Just when Fluttershy was about to pick one, Pinkie Pie popped out from inside the bettys, cheering her pom poms once more.

" 'P' is for 'perfect'!"

Asami was startled but Korra was simply laughing. Rainbow Dash face palmed herself when the two humans approached her. Korra squatted down to her level first. "So, you excited for the tryouts R.D?"

"You know it, A.K.!" the pony beamed, "And I can't wait for you to see Rainbow Falls! I haven't been there since I was a filly."

"Why do they call it Rainbow Falls anyway?" Asami asked. The heiress was surprised when the two athletes started to laugh. "What, what did I say?"

Korra got up and wiped away a tear that escaped her eye when she laughed, "Oh, Asami. You've still got a lot to learn in terms of how a 'magical world' really works. Rainbow Falls is a town where actual rainbow-colored waterfalls pour down from the clouds. It's one of the most popular destinations for yearly events. Next to Canterlot and Manehattan."

Asami blinked twice in surprise, Korar sure knew a lot about Equestria. If only she would place more of that effort into her airbending training. Speaking of which.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck Rainbow Dash." said the heiress.

"You sure you can't come?" Rainbow asked, her ears lowering in disappointment.

"Sorry, I'm already behind on my work as it is."

"It won't be the same without you around."

Asami squatted down and petted her head, "Hey, you'll be fine. Don't forget who beat me at a satomobile race."

Rainbow smiled proudly at the memory, "Yeah. I was pretty awesome." Asami chuckled as she stood back up. "I'll be sure to tell you everything that happens."

"It's a deal."

The three hear incredibly loud chewing, only to see it was Bulk Biceps eating on the bettys while Fluttershy chewed more quietly. Rainbow opened up her wings, "Well, time to get back to work." she flew back to her team, getting their attention.

"Alright, team! Show me what you got! Put some bend into those knees!" the two bended the knees, "Flap those wings!" they flapped their wings at her command, "And I want to see all four hooves off the ground on the count of three!" she smiled before counting really fast, "One two three!"

Bulk Biceps grunted as he and Fluttershy flew flew up into the sky while Korra and Asami watched. The heiress had her hands clapped close to her chest while Korra had her fingers crossed. Literally.

"Don't forget to breathe while you're up there!" said Rainbow Dash and Bulk started wheezing.

Because he screamed so dramatically when he flew up he exhaled a large portion of his breath, causing him to lose altitude and drag Fluttershy along with him.

The ground literally shoo, causing Applejack, Korra and Asami to briefly fly up two feet of the ground when Bulk and Fluttershy landed…on top of Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie popped out from the pile, cheering, "'P' is for, uhh... 'pain'?"

Rainbow Dash sighed in dismay while both the human girls winced at the sight. "Keep saying your prayers." Korra said to the heiress, "We're gonna need a lot of them." they both winced again as Pinkie tried to get the trapped Rainbow Dash from the gigantic white pony.

"A lot." the heiress added.

(~)

A few days latter, the Mane Six, Bulk Biceps and three of Team Avatar were in the train heading to Rainbow Falls, for which Bolin was reading a brochure about it.

"Man! I can't believe it!" the earthbender said in excitement while his fire ferret rested on his shoulder, "Actual rainbow water falls! How awesome is that!"

"Wait till you see them up close." said Rainbow Dash.

Just the, two pegasus ponies approached the two. One was a female with light cyan coat, blue eyes and yellow mane and tail. Her name was Helia. The second was a male pegasus pony name Thunderlane, his coat was dark grey and had a two toned blue mane and tail.

"Good luck, Rainbow Dash!" said Helia, "Sorry we couldn't fly with you on the Aerial Relay, but the air sprinters needed us too."

"Too bad we can only compete in one event." said Thunderlane with a sigh, "But, rules are rules." As the two ponies walked out, they smiled at the Avatar, "We're supper glad you could come, Avatar Korra."

"Yeah, having a hero around sure will be great inspiration." Helia said in admiration, making the Avatar blush bashfully.

"Awww, that's so sweet. But if anything, you ponies are the real inspiration. I can't wait to see you guys fly out there."

The two pegasus ponies bowed in respect before walking into the next train cart while Korra, Mako and Twilight waved.

"Good luck!" said the princess before turning to Rainbow Dash, "It was nice of you to be part of the team that doesn't have... uh…" she took a moment to speculate Bulk Biceps's tiny wings. Seriously, those things were practically no bigger than walnuts. It was amazing this pony managed to get at least five feet off of the ground, "The strongest flyers." she added, trying to sound as polite as she could.

"Nothing nice about it." said Rainbow Dash in her usual proud tone.

"Then why did you pick them?" Mako asked, "If you knew they were not the best, why---"

"Chill-lax, Mako." Rainbow said while waving her hoof, "I know that I can pick up the slack for anypony. With her airbending, Fluttershy's gotten waaaaay faster, and Bulk Biceps is the strongest pony there is. Plus, we did train at the Wonder Bolts Academy together, remember?"

"Didn't he get kicked out for bitting someone's tail?" Mako asked while arching an eyebrow.

"He thought it was taffy. Relax, with me on the team, we'll qualify. I'm sure of it."

Knowing the arrogant pegasus was not going to listen, Mako gave up, rising his hands up in surrender, "If you say so, R.D."

Twilight wrapped her hoof around Rainbow's shoulder, "Ponyville is very lucky to have you."

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome."

"Yes you are, Rainbow Dash." Korra stated with a proud grin, "Anypony would be crazy not to let you guys compete in the Equestria Games."

"I knew I could count on you, Korra."

Fluttershy, who was practically getting squashed by Bulk Biceps's enormous size, strained and gasped for air as she held the Ponyville flag in her hoof.

"I am so proud to be representing Ponyville." she said while still straining. Seeing her struggle, Bolin pulled her right out, setting her free.

"It's got to be a real honor to even try out for the Games." Bolin said, tightening his fists in anticipation, "I'm already getting excited too!"

"I just hope I don't let anypony down." Fluttershy said.

"Aww, of course you won't Fluttershy." Bolin said sweetly, building up his friend's confidence.

"We'll make them proud!" Bulk Biceps exclaimed so loudly, it made both Fluttershy's and Bolin's hair bellow in the wind of his breath, and Pabu was nearly blown right off of Bolin's shoulder. Then, to his surprise, the large while pegasus was shoved aside when Pinkie Pie came out cheering and waving her pom poms.

"'P' is for 'proud'! We're gonna be the best fans anypony has ever seen!"

The stylish Rarity popped up from behind her, "Ooh. Can't wait to see what everypony else is wearing, even though I am absolutely sure they won't be better than the Ponyville uniforms I'm designing for the Equestria Games."

Applejack appeared beside her, "And we will make it to the Games once everypony carbo-loads on my apple brown betties."

"I can't wait!" Pinkie PIe exclaimed once she unexpectedly re-appeared behind Mako and Korra, startling the too. "Too bad Asami couldn't come"

At the mention of her name, both Mako and Korra shared saddened looks.

Korra slightly hunched in disappointment. While the heiress didn't show any direct signs of hatred toward her, that still didn't mean Korra didn't catch at least a tint of uncertainty whenever Asami was around her. She wanted to be friends, because she knew Asami needed them. She didn't know if it was because of Mako, or maybe it was. Maybe the heiress was still a little jealous of the two. Still, she hoped one day that barrier between them would break down completely at some point in the near future, because right now it still seemed to be standing a bit. She couldn't explain it but, she knew there was something awaiting her and all of her friends. She just couldn't explain just what it was or what it would be, so far it's been just a feeling. Maybe time will give her the answer she seeks.

Korra decided to shrug the topic off for now, because today was suppose to be a great day for her dear friend Rainbow Dash. Bolin pressed his face against the window and his eyes widened in wonder.

"We're here! We're here!"

Mako looked into the direction where his younger brother was looking at, as did Korra and her eyes sparkled, reflecting the stunning colors before her.

"Rainbow Falls."

Rainbow Falls was just as the name implied; a lovely town resting on a high mountain with Rainbow colored waterfalls transcending from the high clouds, landing into the stream of the town bellow. One of the many things Korra loved about this world was the new surprises around every corner.

The train came to a halt and the group of friends exited, only to be more impressed by the beauty of the place. The small houses were so simple and welcoming, with Rainbow-themed decorations all around. The houses had murals depicting Rainbows, umbrellas underneath tables outside a small cafe, even Rainbow arcs over the roofs of the house. Ponies were everywhere, either walking around, greeting one another, or simply sitting on benches beside the rainbow-colored stream that was connected to the rainbow waterfall that fell from above.

Mako could hardly believe his eyes, "That's…a lot of colors." he said, his jaw practically hitting the floor. Even his brother was speechless.

"This places is…Amazing!! I wonder if the food is rainbow-themed."

It didn't take long for the Ponies to get to training. The competitors were all gathered in the tryout grounds, where numerous other pegasi and several griffons were gathered. Bolin couldn't help his curiosity, these ponies may be cute and adorable creatures, but they were strong. He was surprised to see one lift up a barbell with his hooves. He was especially intrigued by the griffons that were there as well. They certainly looked as Twilight had described before; strong half-eagle half-lion creatures with powerful claws, large wings and shaper beaks. He walked up to one male one and began asking some questions.

"So, do griffons have like their own kingdom, or do they live under Celestia's rule like ponies do? Also, if you guys can tryout, does that mean other winged creatures that aren't ponies can too? What about dragons, have they ever tried out?"

The male griffon stopped his workout and glared in annoyance at Bolin, "Kid, go home."

Bolin realized he had overstayed his welcome and walked away. Meanwhile, Korra, Mako, Bulk Biceps and the Mane Six made their way across various pegasus ponies working out. Korra was startled when she heard two ponies call out her name.

"That's Avatar Korra!"

She turned her head and saw two ponies, one male and one female. The male was brown in color with dark brown spiky hair, blue eyes and a crescentic moon cutie mark. The female pegasus was orange with puffy pink-candy-colored mane and tail with a swirled candy as her cutie mark.

"Wow, I can't believe it's really you!!" said the male pegasus, Crescent Moon.

"Oh, well, I'm mostly here to support my friend Rainbow Dash and the Ponyville team."

"No way, you're friends with Rainbow Dash? She's an awesome flyer!"

"I heard that she's flying the last third of the relay," said the female pegasus, Orange Swirl, "which means everypony else is gonna have to be way ahead to beat her!"

Korra couldn't help but smile. As proud of her talents as she may be, she was even prouder of her friend's accomplishments. "You got that right." Korra said proudly while crossing her arms, "I don't think there's anypony else who could measure up to Rainbow's skills."

"Oh, the Wonderbolts!"

Korra's attention shifted towards the sky when Crescent Moon pointed upwards. Rainbow and the others looked up as well as saw them.

The Wonderbolts themselves.

Korra has heard about them from Rainbow Dash, but this was the first time she has seen them in person. They were just as Rainbow described them. Fast, agile, and downright, undeniably…awesome!

Mako and Bolin were jaw dropped at the sight. These three ponies had the speed and agility as well as the teamwork of a well oiled machine. Bolin was especially ecstatic to see them.

"Whoa! Mako, do you see that? It's the Wonderbolts!"

"Yeah bro, I see them."

Korra was still wide eyed by the sight, "Wow. Hey, aren't they flying for Cloudsdale?"

"That's right," said Orange Swirl, "Cloudsdale will definitely qualify. They're the best flyers ever."

With the way they were flying, Korra had to agree. The three famous ponies in Equestria landed, sporting their matching blue jumpsuits and goggles. Korra approached her friends as the orange female Wonderbolt, Spitfire, removed her goggles.

"And the game is on!" she then spotted the two legged creature and she gasped, "Whoa, are you Avatar Korra?"

"The one and only." Korra said, "It's a real honor to meet the Wonderbolts in person. Rainbow Dash has told me so much about you. Let me guess; You're Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and you must be Soarin."

The blue hair pegasus removed his goggles and smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth, "Wow, the Avatar knows who we are! So what brings you here?"

"I'm just here to support Ponyville, being represented by Rainbow Dash's team. Also known as; The best flyer in Equestria!"

The statement made the said pegasus blush, "Aww, Korra. You're embarrassing me."

"Well it's true!"

To her surprise, Mako took her by the shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Korra, don't oversell it."

Soarin rose his hoof up into the air in enthusiasm, "Hah, nice to see there's some real competition here!"

Fleetfoot walked up to Rainbow Dash, placing a hoof on her shoulder, "Two more days of practice, then we'll see you in the air, Rainbow Dash! If you're lucky."

The trio of pegasus galloped away for more training, leaving Rainbow Dash with a content smile on her face, followed by a content sigh. "The Wonderbolts know a winner when they see one, and we'll be winners just as soon as we practice! Right team?"

"Right." said sweet Fluttershy.

Bulk Biceps exclaimed, "Yeah!"

"Hooray!" Pinkie Pie blew on her party hooter and tossed confetti.

Twilight looked indifferent for a moment, but when Rainbow looked at her, she realized she needed to show her enthusiasm as well. "And, um, I'm with her! Hooray!"

Seeing his silence, Korra nudged Mako's arm, "Uh, me too! Hooray!"

Their attention shifted to a duo of cheerleaders who were cheering for the Cloudsdale team. "Give us some clouds! Give us some dale! And what do you get? Cloudsdale! Woo-hoo!"

Pinkie Pie gasped, her blue eyes gleaming, "Where can I get pompoms like those?!"

(~)

Korra, Mako and Bolin watched from the sidelines with Twilight Sparkle as Rainbow Dash instructed to her flyers, "So, do I need to remind you of what our goal is here?"

Bulk Biceps looked uncertain, "Uh, maybe?"

"We want to qualify! We need to be one of the first four teams to cross the finish line! Bulk Biceps, you're the first flyer, so let me see you flap it!"

Bulk Biceps grunted as he flapped his tinny wings. They looked like hummingbird wings. Unfortunately, he wasn't as fast this time, for he was easily brought down when Applejack's brown betties suddenly hit his chin.

"What the?" Rainbow Dash looked down and saw that it was Applejack who had kicked the pastry into the air.

"Sorry! Got the idea from them, but…"

She turned her head towards two pegasus ponies, wearing chefs hats, and were tossing some cupcakes into a catapult, unleashing them into the air chanting; "Hooves down! Cakes up!"

Fleetfoot and Spitfire zoomed in from the sky and managed to catch the two cupcakes into their mouths and continued their training.

"…It looks like they got better aim."

Rainbow Dash shook it off and turned back to her team, with a horseshoe shaped object with a cloud on it, resting on her hoof, "Okay, the passing of the baton needs to be seamless." she took Biceps's hoof and placed the horseshoe on it, "You shouldn't miss a wing beat or drop a hair in altitude! And whatever you do, don't let go of it!"

Fluttershy flew put to Bulk Biceps, "Are you really, really, really sure you're ready? I mean, I don't want to take it if you're not super sure."

"Ready!" Biceps handed Fluttershy the baton, for which she took…only to suddenly feel her nose twitch and sneeze, causing her to unleash a powerful gust of wind from her mouth and to accidentally drop the baton. It landed on the ground, where Rarity found it and took it away.

"Ponyville could do so much better. I'll be back with a freshly painted one in no time!"

"We were using that!" Rainbow exclaimed, "And it's not like anypony else has color-coordinated horseshoes or anything!"

And, to her surprise, and disappointment, Spitfire handed Fleetfoot an actual color coordinated horseshoe baton before flying off. The Wonderbolts were doing far better than her team was. The rainbow-haired pegasus flapped her wings and landed near Korra, Mako and Twilight.

"I guess some ponies do."

"Some ponies do what?" Twilight asked.

"Have a better chance of qualifying and going to the Equestria Games than others."

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad." Korra said in reassurance, "Just keep trying. Remember, you're their inspiration. You've got this."

With those words, Rainbow's motivation returned, "You know something Korra; You're right! I've got this!" the now much happier pegasus pony zoomed upwards, ready to help her team win.

And so it went, Rainbow Dash was determined now more than ever to help her team.

Rainbow Dash;

"Aright you two."

Let's get down to business

To reach

The goal

When I asked for stallions

How did I get

The foals?

You're the saddest bunch I've ever met

Fluttershy;

"That's kind of mean."

Rainbow;

"Trying to be dramatic."

But you can bet!

Before we're through

Ponies I'll

Make a champ

Out of you!

Rainbow Dash did her best to get Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps into shape, she knew they had potential, she wouldn't have chosen them if she didn't think they did. Only issue was, they just needed to channel that potential in order to win.

However, Bulk Biceps's tiny wings and huge body build served as an issue for them. When practicing through the rings, he couldn't get through them.

Rainbow;

Tranquil as a forest

But in fire within

Once you find your center

You are sure to win

Fluttershy was a fast flyer now, however, she would sometimes go a bit too fast and had a hard time slowing down

You're got the skills, I know you do

But you need to make em show

Somehow I'll

Make a champ

Out of you

So far, the progress was a tie between getting better and getting…well, less better. Korra, Mako and Twilight watched the events unfold. Korra was beginning to realize the error of Rainbow Dash's mistake. She really should have though this through. She felt so much sympathy for the three ponies.

Fluttershy;

I'm never gonna catch my breath

Say goodbye to those who knew me

Bulk Biceps;

Boy, was I a fool at school for cutting gym

Twilight;

This has got me worried sick

Korra;

Pray the universe takes pity

Mako;

Now I really hate to say; "I told you so"

Twilight;

"You're not helping!"

Rainbow;

We must be light as a flying lemur

I must calmer than most by far

Keep our eyes on the prize

For sure

Oh, yeah!

And soon they will see

Our team rise up and soar!

We must be light as a flying lemur

I must calmer than most by far

Keep our eyes on the prize

For sure

And soon they will see

Our team rise and soar!

(~)

Fluttershy gained more control of her airbending while Bulk Biceps managed to keep his balance well enough in the air, but despite this small progress, Rainbow couldn't stop comparing them to the Wonderbolts. It seemed, no matter what they did, they seemed to do it better.

"They're getting better." said Mako as he and Korra approached Rainbow Dash. But the pony lowered her ears in disappointment.

"Yeah, but not enough."

"What are you talking about?" Korra asked, "Okay sure, you've still got a few bugs to work out but, overall I think you've got a pretty good chance."

"She's right." Mako said sincerely, "I have to admit, I'm impressed. I never should have doubted you."

"Still, if we're gonna win, we're going to have to amp up our game."

Mako then tapped his chin in thought, "You know, when Bolin and I first became pro-benders, we watched other experienced teams and grab inspiration and references to their moves to apply to ours."

Rainbow's ears perked up and her wings flapped excitedly. She flew up to Mako, grabbing his face with her hooves, "Mako, you're a genius!" she spontaneously kissed his forehead and flew off, taking Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps with her, leaving the two teens looking at one another in confusion.

"What did she mean by that?" he asked. Korra simply shrugged her shoulders.

(~)

Spitfire was receiving a massage and resting while Soarin was practicing his ariel tricks and speeds for the qualifiers. Rainbow Dash turned to her teammates, "Watch and learn. The Cloudsdales are Wonderbolts, and Wonderbolts are the best flyers there are. And my personal heroes. So, maybe you can learn something."

This was something she was hoping for. If Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps watched the professionals in action, it might amp up their game. They watched as Soarin, well soared though the sky, zipping in through the rainbow-colored floating rings in the sky with ease. Rainbow Dash lifted both Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps's chins, making them look upwards.

"Please learn something?"

From down bellow, Fleetfoot gave Soarin a 'pep talk'. "C'mon, Soarin, pick up the pace! You can do better than that!"

"I sure hope so." said Spitfire. There was no way they were going to fluke in representing Cloudsdale. They were an elite flying team, and they needed to maintain that tittle. At any cost.

The Cloudsdale cheerleaders waved their pom palms as they cried out; "Practice, practice, yay, practice!"

Soarin was briefly distracted by the cute ponies that he hit his wing against one of the rainbow rings.

"Whoa!"

Spitfire and Fleetfoot watched in horror as their teammate began plummeting to the ground. Korra and Mako heard the cries for help and gasped when they witnessed Soarin falling down.

"Aaaaah! Help!"

Acting fast, Rainbow zoomed in at top speed, catching the injured Wonderbolt right before he hit the ground.

"Gotcha!"

Rainbow landed Soarin safely on the ground, he inspected his wing and smiled at Rainbow Dash. "Thanks. You saved me."

"It was nothing."

Everypony, as well as the two human teens, approached and cheered for Rainbow's heroism.

"Awe-some!" Fleetfoot exclaimed.

"As good as any Wonderbolt!" said Spitfire

Korra hugged the little pony, "Rainbow Dash, that was amazing!"

"I'm so proud of you." said Fluttershy, "You scooped Soarin out of the sky and brought him down to the ground and now, now he's okay. At least, I hope he's okay." she turned to Soarin, "Are you okay?"

Soarin attempted to move his wing, the wing he had hit before falling, and grunted as he tried to move it. "Uh, my wing hurts, but I-I'm sure it'll be okay by the competition."

Korra walked over and inspected his wing. "Does this hurt?" she asked when she tapped his wing only a tiny bit, which resulted in Soarin wincing in pain.

"YEAOWCH!!"

"Yep, your wing is sprained." hearing this, Spitfire and Fleetfoot gasped in shock. "You're going to have to keep yourself grounded for a while." Korra said.

Siren wailing was heard and a Pony medic came with a gurney for Soarin. Korra and Mako assisted the pony on board and he smiled in gratitude, as well as at Rainbow Dash.

"You're the best, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow couldn't help but blush, and feel butterflies in her stomach, due to the compliment. "Ah, it was nothin'. But, if you feel like talking about how great I am, don't let me stop you!" she said as the pony medic took Soarin away to the medical room. The others flinched when Bulk Biceps suddenly zipped on in and exclaimed loudly,

"'P' is for Rainbow Dash!"

Fluttershy whispered in his ear, "Um, 'Rainbow Dash' actually starts with an 'R'."

"Never mind!"

"Tough break to lose a teammate right before the tryouts." Korra said to the Wonderbolts, "His wing should be better real soon, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I bet I can speed up the process with my waterbending."

However, the two female pegasi suddenly flashed each other some very suspicious grins. They smiled at Rainbow Dash, "You know, you grew up in Cloudsdale." said Fleetfoot.

"So that means you could fly with us." said Spitfire.

Rainbow Dash and Korra both looked at each other skeptically and then back at two, "Fly?"

"Uh, we mean practice." said Fleetfoot, "You could practice with us until Soarin's better."

"What do you say? Wanna be our third?"

Before Rainbow Dash could answer, Korra shook her head, "Whoa, whoa, back up. You want Rainbow Dash to replace Soarin? I just said he was going to get better."

"Yeah, but we wouldn't want to pressure him into getting back on his hooves. He needs his rest after that nasty takedown. Besides, we're not asking her to join us permanently, but we really do need a third member in order to get our routine down."

Korra looked down at the ground rather skeptically, "I guess I can understand, kind of, but Rainbow's team needs her in order to qualify for the games."

"She's right." said Rainbow Dash, "Don't wanna be too worn out by the time the race comes around."

"We put you through some pretty intense workouts at the Wonderbolt Academy and you handled those just fine." said Spitfire, still smiling.

"Heh, I did kick some major tail at the Academy." but then, Rainbow Dash remembered what Mako had said before hand:

"When Bolin and I first became pro-benders, we watched other experienced teams and grab inspiration and references to their moves to apply to ours."

The rainbow pony then dragged Korra by the arm, away from the two Wonderbolts, "Could you give us a second?" Rainbow led Korra a few feet away so the other two could not hear them.

"Rainbow, you can't seriously be thinking about this. After all the hard work you guys did?"

"Just hear me out. We're talking about flying with the best flyers in Equestria. They've got the experience that my team needs."

"Okay." Korra crossed her arms.

"So, if I practice with them, I can use the stuff I learned to help out my team! I did want them to learn something from them, so this is our chance!"

Korra arched an eyebrow at the pony, she could sense Rainbow's ambition but she still and wasn't a hundred percent sure about this, and sadly, Rainbow could sense it.

"You think it's a bad idea, don't you?"

Korra didn't want to pressure her friend into doing the right thing, and she did seem to still be dedicated to her team. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she did learn from the best.

"I just have a bad feeling about this is all."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, it's just that--"

"Come on! This is Ponyville's chance to get into the Equestria Games! You know how much this means to me."

Korrs most certainly did know how much it meant to Rainbow Dash. Maybe she should give her the benefit of the doubt. "Well, if it is just practice and nothing else, and Soarin will be up again soon…I suppose there's no problem with---" she was interrupted when a happy Rainbow Dash hugged her.

"Thanks Korra! You're the best! Oh, and let's not tell the others, or Spitfire and Fleetfoot. Okay?"

"Sure."

"Great!" Rainbow Dash flew back to the two Wonderbolts, "Alright, I'll do it."

Spitfire chuckled in triumph, "Wise decision, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow walked off with the two pegasi, while Korra watched on with uncertainty. She hoped Rainbow would keep her head in the game here.

Then again…

(~)

For the next few days, Rainbow Dash had been training with both the Cloudsdale team and the Ponyville team. She had done her best to learn all she could from Spitfire and Fleetfoot in hopes of benefiting her team. All the while Korra had to try her hardest not to let the secret out. While she would never technically say it out loud, her behavior would give it away. She hatted keeping things from her friends, especially the others ponies, but this was to help Rainbow Dash. Or at least, she hoped it was to help her. She needed to trust her, Rainbow was a smart and clever pony after all, and so far she was keeping her head in the game. It did seem that the training was paying off. That same motivation she had with the Wonderbolts, she carried it with her own team, encouraging them to be better. Maybe this idea wasn't so bad after all.

Rainbow managed to zoom through the moving rings with ease and handed Fleetfoot the baton.

"Awesome!" sad the white-haired pegasus. Then, Cloudsdale cheerleaders came flying around Rainbow Dash.

"Whinny, ponies, whinny! Fly on, fly on, fly on!"

Rainbow quickly flew away, bypassing Twilight, who watched on with uncertainty. Rainbow had been flying off and on for a while now. She wondered what the situation was. Also, why was Korra avoiding her.

Korra would visit Soarin at the hospital bed, using her water to heal his injured wing. He winced at first but he quickly relaxed at the gentled glowing water.

"Wow! You're a miracle worker!" the pony said in admiration.

"It's nothing. Most waterbenders can do it where I'm from."

"So, how's my team doing? Did they find a replacement pony to proactive with? You know they can't do the routine without one, even if it is temporary."

Korra slightly strained at the mention of this. Should she tell him it was Rainbow Dash? She didn't know. So instead, she only told part of the truth.

"Yeah, they found a pretty good pony for the time being."

"Great! He a good flyer?"

"Um…she's pretty good. Fast as they come."

"I bet Rainbow Dash would like her."

Korra forced a smile, though deep down she felt guilty. "You have no idea."

(~)

Bulk Biceps grunted as he flew towards the rings, all the while Rainbow Dash was encouraging him. In the best way she could.

"Come on, Bulk Biceps, you can do it!"

However, just like before, his large body caused him to get stuck in the rings…again. Fluttershy flew up to him, "Um... I'm ready to take the horseshoe, if you want me to."

Bulk handed her the horseshoe, but in struggling to get pass the ring he was stuck on, the weight of his body caused the ring to bend back and fling the two away, screaming. They passed right by Mako, who was writing some stuff down on a notebook, and feeling the breeze past him. He turned his head and winced when the two ponies rammed into a rock. Bulk was alright, but Fluttershy was now crammed onto his back. Mako winced at the sight while Rainbow Dash groaned.

With Spitfire and Fleetfoot, Rainbow Dash and then were doing some wing ups…each with a pony on their back. Rainbow attempted to get her team to do wing ups, but Fluttershy's struggled while Bulk couldn't even do it due to his tiny wings.

"You, uh, keep doing your wing-ups." said Rainbow, "I'm just gonna get some, uh, water." once again, she flew away, leaving Twilight to grow even more skeptical.

Korra watched as Rainbow Dash zipped from one team to the next, one time she caught her and tried to speak with her. "Rainbow Dash, can we talk?"

"In a minute, gotta meat up with Spitfire and Fleetfoot."

She jumped into Rainbow's way, stopping her, "I want to know if you're still keeping your head in the game here. You seem to be spending an awful lot more time with those two than with your friends. It's really starting to worry me."

"Korra, relax. I know what I'm doing."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I am sure. Now, if you'll excuse me." the pony zoomed away from the Avatar, making her hair ties bellow in the wind. The Avatar sighed sadly when she spotted the firebender.

"Hey, Korra. Where is Rainbow flying off to now?" Korra grunted as she crossed her arms, bitterly. Mako knew something wasn't right. "What's wrong?"

"I'd tell you but I promised Rainbow Dash I wouldn't. And I'm starting to regret it."

"What did she tell you not to say?"

"I…I can't."

"Okay, is there anything you can tell me?"

Korra sighed and looked up into his eyes. She could tell he was willing to listen to her. To at least try and understand her. Maybe she should tell him the truth. She took in a deep breath before speaking…really quickly.

"The Wonderbolts asked Rainbow Dash to practice with them since they can't without a third pony, but Rainbow is only doing it to help out her team by learning from the best, and I trusted her with it at first, but now it's almost like she's forgetting what she was trying to do and I want to tell her but she keeps flying off and she told me not to tell anybody but keeping it secret is already killing me but if I do say something then what if her team gets supper mad and decide to quit because they think Rainbow's a traitor and she loses her chance of qualifying for the games which is something she's dreamed off since she was a filly and then she'll be mad because I didn't keep my promise and I'll be the one feeling like a traitor!"

The Avatar took in a huge deep breath and slide down to the ground against a tree. "You have any idea how it feels to keep a secret this big that could have a bad outcome no matter what you do?"

Mako was silent for a moment before replying, "More than you know."

Korra's eyes widened in shock at this revelation, "Say what?"

Mako sat down beside her, "I know exactly what that's like. You want to tell the truth but at the same time you don't want to because your afraid of the consequences and you don't want anybody to get hurt. That's exactly how I felt when I was hiding my feelings for you from Asami. But eventually I realized, keeping it a secret was being just as painful as not saying anything. If not worse."

Korra was speechless for a moment, taking in what Mako had just told her. She now knew how he felt being torn between two people he cared about, knowing the consequences but fearing of making the wrong choice.

"I didn't know it was this hard for you." she said.

"Yeah, it was. Especially when it was between two people I care about."

"Then…what do I do?"

"Do what I didn't have the guts to do before. Face the situation rather than running from it. Trust me, keeping it in is not the right thing to do. I know you want to trust Rainbow and have her dream come true, but a lie is still a lie. Even when you're trying to help someone."

"I didn't think of it that way. Guess I've still got a lot to learn."

Mako smiled and wrapped his arm around her, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you told me this." he said.

Korra felt a huge weigh of relief being lifted from her shoulders. Now she knew what it was like to feel torn in which choice to make. She smiled and kissed Mako on the cheek.

"Me too."

(~)

Rainbow Dash snuck away from Fluttershy, Bulk Biceps and Applejack to drink water from the nearby stream.

"It's not easy practicing with two teams, is it?"

Rainbow spit out the water from her mouth when she spotted Twilight Sparkle before her. "You… know? Did Korra tell you?"

"I did." the Avatar appeared right behind Rainbow Dash.

"Does anypony else know?"

"No. They're too busy practicing to wonder why you keep disappearing."

"Korra, you said you wouldn't tell!"

"I know, but recently all you've been doing was spending time with the Wonderbolts than your own team! I had to say something, even if it did mean breaking my promise!"

"Well, if you felt that way why didn't you say something?"

"I tried! But you kept flying in and out so fast you never gave me a chance!"

"Well, I've seen the other team practicing and we're still gonna qualify. I can fly fast enough to make up the distance."

"It just seems like one of the teams you're practicing with needs a little more help than the other one." Twilight said.

"But it's so much more fun working out with the winners than... um... the non-winners. Besides, Ponyville will still qualify."

"Do you hear yourself?" Korra said angrily, "What happened to the Rainbow Dash who was so confident in her teammates? All of this 'winner circle' stuff has gotten to your head."

Then, Spitfire and Fleetfoot showed up, "Rainbow Dash, you got a minute?"

"Uh, sure." Rainbow flew up to the two.

"You could really be an asset to our team, so... we want you to join the Cloudsdale team. Permanently."

Rainbow Dash gasped in excitement, much to Twilight and Korra's shock.

"It looks like Soarin's wing won't heal in time for the trials." said Spitfire, wrapping her hoof around Rainbow Dash, "We want you to fly with us."

"Of course, this means you won't be able to fly for Ponyville," Fleetfoot said, "but let's face it. Even with you on their team, their chances of qualifying for the Games are pretty slim."

As she said this, they witnessed Fluttershy attempting to hand Bulk the horseshoe, only to accidentally hit his cheek, and he ran off whimpering.

"So, what's it gonna be?" Spitfire asked rather confidently.

"Well, I…"

"Take some time to think about it." the two ponies flew off and Rainbow Dash began zooming around the Avatar and Alicorn.

"They want me to fly with them! It's like a dream come true!" he contently landed on her back, resting on the grass with her hooves behind her back.

"Rainbow Dash, aren't you forgetting something?" Korra asked sternly, making the pony stopped her victory cheers. "Without you, Ponyville won't qualify. Each team needs three ponies, and where as they going to find a new fast flyer on such short notice? Bulk and Fluttershy's efforts will be for nothing!"

Twilight spoke next, "Not to mention, If you fly for Cloudsdale, Pinkie Pie won't have anypony to cheer for. Rarity's uniforms will never be seen. And Applejack will have slaved over those apple brown bettys for nothing."

"Everyone's hard work and Loyalty towards you will be completely worthless. And all because you couldn't get down from your glory cloud long enough to see that!"

Rainbow Dash could not be angry with Korra, she knew she had tried to be supportive and to help her achieve her goal. But she and Twilight were right, she didn't have her priorities in order anymore. She felt terrible for putting that pressure on Korra before, and she felt terrible about what do to. She wanted her team tow in, but she also wanted to fly with the Wonderbolts; her lifelong dream. She didn't know what to do. She sadly flew over to Twilight.

"What should I do?"

Just when Korra was about to speak, when Twilight rose her hoof to silence her. Once look into the alicorn's eyes and, somehow, Korra caught an idea as to what she was trying to tell her.

"I think this is a decision you have to make on your own." said the princess as she slowly walked way, with a look of concern. "The race is tomorrow, so you'd better make it soon."

Rainbow lowered down onto the ground, looking up at Korra in regret. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are." That was all she said, right before walking away.

(~)

The next day, Twilight and Korra waited anxiously fro Rainbow Dash. Korra hoped that Rainbow had come to her senses by now. She knew she was smart, but even so she could have her…well, her moments where she wasn't. Korra knew that better than anyone. She noticed Twilight's concern and petted her head.

"Hey, I'm sure she'll be flying with the Ponyvile team the minute she gets here."

"Woe is me! Oooh!"

"Then again, the Universe just loves to prove me wrong sometimes."

Korra face palmed herself when she and the others saw Rainbow Dash, on a wheelchair, covered in bandages, both on her hooves, wings, stomach, bandages on her cheek and chest, and a neck collar, all while moaning and crying dramatically.

Fluttershy approached her "injured" friend. "What's happened?"

"Urgh, I've hurt my hoof…"

Pinkie Pie, Bolin and Rarity gasped, while Twilight, Korra and Mako looked on skeptically.

"All of them?" Spitfire asked, looking at all four of her bandaged hooves.

"I, uh, tripped on a-a foam hoof and landed on a…pokey stick coming out of the ground." she muffled the last part, near unintelligible.

Pinkie Pie growled in anger, "If I get my hooves on that 'pokey stick coming out of the ground' she said, matching unintelligible gibberish, "it'll be in big trouble!"

"There is no way I can fly now." Rainbow said dramatically.

"Do you think you'll be better by tryouts?" Fluttershy asked and Rainbow groaned in exaggeration while leaning against the chair, placing her hoof on her forehead like a drama queen.

"I'll be lucky if I ever fly again!"

Korra clenched her fists, just about ready to blow a casket, until both Mako and Twilight took her by the shoulders and shook their heads, silently telling her to let it be. Much to her disappointment.

Rainbow sighed, "I just need a little rest."

Fluttershy helped her friends sit up straight and began pushing the wheelchair, "Oh, don't worry, Rainbow Dash. We'll take care of you... or, at least, somepony will. Like, a medic or-or a doctor, or a nurse."

(~)

At the hospital, the EKG beeped while Rainbow Dash had all four of her hooves elevated as she laid on a hospital bed, surrounded by her friends. Twilight examined the machine and eyes the rainbow pony suspiciously.

"So, the medic pony isn't sure what's wrong with you."

"Everything! Absolutely everything!" Rainbow exclaimed dramatically.

Applejack then placed one of her cupcakes into Rainbow's mouth, "This'll cure everythin' that ails ya!"

Rainbow Dash chewed on the pastry, "Thank you. I couldn't have done that on my own."

Twilight, Mako and Korra sighed in annoyance and Rarity levitated a lovely sequin purple fabric from her bag.

"Nothing says 'get better' like a little medical pizazz! Silk slings and a glitter bandage?"

"That might help." Rainbow said as Rarity so generously wrapped the fabric around Rainbow's hoof. Bolin then placed a scented cantle beside her bed.

"Aroma therapy always soothes the injured soul."

"Thanks, Bolin."

The doors opened and Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps entered the room. "And how is our patient doing?" Fluttershy asked as Bulk struggled to enter the room due to his size, but managed.

"I've been better."

"We just wanted to let you know that we're so sorry you're hurt, but you shouldn't worry a bit about not being able to be in the tryouts. We'll be alright. We even have a replacement."

A grey colored pegasus pony with derby eyes, yellow mane and bubbles for a cutie mark, entered the room while waving the ponyville flag.

"Derpy?!" Korra and Mako both exclaimed in shock. Why did they pick her?

Korra looked up into the sky, "Thanks a lot." she asked sarcastically.

"We're so, so sorry that you can't compete." Fluttershy said, "We all know how much you love to fly. And we promise-"

"Cross our hearts!" Bulk exclaimed.

"…That if we qualify and make it to the Equestria Games and all win gold medals, you can have ours, because we know how much a gold medal means to you."

The bedridden pony felt so touched by these words. Even though they were still not an good as the Wonderbolts, but they were still Loyal to the team. Loyal to Ponyville.

Loyal to her.

"Thanks…" she felt her eyes start to water. Seeing this, Twilight cleared her throat.

"I think Rainbow Dash might need to rest some more."

One by one, the Mane Six exited the room, but Korra was the only one who remained, along with Twilight. Rainbow didn't need words to know that they both knew she was faking her injuries. But even so, they did not look mad. She knew Korra was close to exploding, but she didn't. Instead the Avatar spoke to her with a wisdom that was rare even for Korra.

"You know, choosing not to choose isn't really a decision. Take it from someone who knows." she and Twilight exited the room, leaving Rainbow Dash to her thoughts. However, she wasn't entirely alone. She did have a hospital roommate.

It was Soarin.

"You sure have nice friends." he said when he removed the curtain which hid him from view before. His wing was wrapped in a bandage and was on a bed just like her, "Nopony's been by to visit me. Well, except for that nice Korra. She's been healing my wing all this time. Eh, guess everypony else was too busy practicing."

"Well, hopefully your wing will be better soon." Rainbow said kindly.

"Oh, it's fine. I-I'm just keeping it warm in case my team wants me back."

"What do you mean, 'wants you back'?" Rainbow asked skeptically, "Spitfire and Fleetfoot told me that you were still too injured to fly!"

"And they told me that they were worried I wouldn't be one hundred percent by the tryouts, so they were going with the pony who's been practicing with them lately!"

"That pony else was me!" Rainbow exclaimed, realizing she had been lied to, "Until, uh, well, until I got hurt, that is."

Soarin sighed sadly, "So, I guess we're all out of luck. Cloudsdale won't qualify without three fliers, and Ponyville won't qualify without you. Too bad…"

The blue pegasus wrapped his body in a blanket, apparently giving up. Rainbow realized how stupid she had been acting. She wanted her team to win so badly that she got so wrapped up in acting like a winner. She should have never lied to her friends, and she never should have made Korra keep the secret and making her feel she had to choose between herself and the others. She wasn't being a very good friend. To anypony or anybody.

Korra was right, not choosing wasn't a choice. But what will she do now? If she told the truth, everypony would get angry, or worse. She allowed one tear to escape her eyes.

"Universe, send me a sign or something."

Then, as if in an instant, a ray of sunshine entered the room, hitting a jug of water, creating a string of rainbow colors that hit the Ponyville flag on the floor. The flag that represented her home, where her friends lived.

She then remembered that one night at the pro-bending arena, where Korra managed to get her teem working together again, showing they were the ones who mattered more to her than winning.

"Choosing not to choose isn't really a decision."

As her eyes shinned with a Rainbow glow. Rainbow Dash had her answer.

(~)

The rest of the group were devastated. Without Rainbow Dash, Ponyvile didn't stand a chance.

"Even with Rainbow Dash's replacement, I don't think we're gonna qualify. " Mako stated, then turned to Derpy, "No offense."

But, the grey pegasus just shrugged it off. Apparently she takes criticism rather well.

Pinkie Pie angrily removed her rainbow-colored wig, "Gah! What am I gonna do with all these now?!" she pointed to a pile of colorful pom palms.

Applejack arced an eyebrow, "Uh, what were you gonna do with them before?"

Rarity sighed sadly, "Maybe my Equestria Games uniforms will still be in style next year. I mean, I am pretty fashion-forward."

Korra's eyes then widened and she smiled when she saw the rainbow pegasus walking across the fields in her bandages.

"Is that Rainbow Dash… walking?" Bolin was very surprised to see this. But she wasn't alone. Soarin accompanied her as well.

The two approached Spitfire and Fleetfoot, who were so shocked that they dropped their bottles of water from their mouths.

"Does… this mean you're feeling better?" asked Fleetfoot, uncertain on how to react to this surprising turn of events.

"I-I feel great, because... I was never hurt in the first place."

To everyone, well almost everyone's, shock, Rainbow Dash removed the bandages from her body, showcasing her uninjured body. The two teams gasped.

"I faked my injury so that I wouldn't have to choose between flying for Ponyville or Cloudsdale. At first I was only training with the Wonderbolts so I could get inspired and help out my own team, but I got so wrapped up in the winner circle that I lost track of what I was really working for. In the end, I wanted to fly with you both, but the decision was too hard! And worse, I made my friend keep a secret that wasn't hers to keep."

Korra clapped her hands close to her heart, feeling the integrity in her friend's words.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, you don't have to choose us." said Fluttershy, "I know you love to win, and you should go with the team that surely will."

Rainbow Dash smiled, "I know now who I should've been loyal to."

"Good choice." Spitfire smiled broadly, "Always stick with the winners."

"I am…Ponyville."

The two pegasus ponies dropped their jaws in shock, allowing Korra to exclaim in victory, "Ha!"

Rainbow Dash proudly walked back to her real team. "Because it's not just where I live, but it's where my friends are. The ponies who really care about me, whether I can help them win a race or not."

Twilight and Korra could be prouder of there friend. Everybody was proud. The Mane Six, Bolin, Mako, Korra and Bulk Biceps all happily cheered for their friend for making the right choice.

"Are you sure that's the right decision?" Spitfire asked. To her surprise, Rainbow narrowed her eyes at her and Fleetfoot.

"You lied to me about Soarin's wing just so you could get a better flyer!" Soarin crossed his hooves and narrowed his eyes at the two as well, "You may be a winning team, but you're still not the kind of team I wanna be a part of."

"Yeah!" everyone turned heads to see Mako, raising his hand up, and cheering for Rainbow Dash. He slowly lowered his hand and blushed in embarrassment.

Spitfire removed her shades, surprisingly, she was not angry at all. In fact, she was impressed. "Huh. Rainbow Dash, you are something. Saw it at the Academy, seeing it again here. We could learn a lot from a competitor like you."

"Think we already have." said Fleetfoot, equally impressed. Spitfire approached Soarin lowering her ears sadly.

"Sorry we lied to you. I guess we got caught up in the winner circle too. Never should've lied and tried to replace you to begin with. If you're still up for it, wanna fly with us again?"

Sorain was a bit skeptical at first, until Rainbow nodded her head, saying he should give them another chance. He smiled.

"You know it!" eh happily flew up into the sky, with his teammates behind him, "Go, Cloudsdale!"

Rainbow Dash turned to her team, "Come on, Ponyville relay team! We've got a race to get ready for!"

Bulk Biceps exclaimed, "Yeah!" as he and Fluttershy flew up behind their leader.

"Go get em, guys!" Korra cheered.

(~)

The Wonderbolts, all three this time, landed into the flying rainbow circle in the sky. Fleetfoot flew up and a unicorn pony hit the timer and nodded, signaling the Wondebolts qualify for the Games. Soarin looked down at Rainbow's team.

"Come on, Ponyville! You can do it!"

Bulk Biceps managed to fly thought the rings without getting stuck while the unicorn above kept his eyes on the timer watch. Bulk shockingly handed Fluttershy the horseshoe and the yellow pegasus managed to grab it without having it fall. Twilight, now wearing a cheerleader outfit and rainbow wig, galloped her front hooves with her pom palms.

"Go, Fluttershy! Woo-hoo!"

The yellow pegasus, now with her stronger airbending wings, managed to zoom though the rings with ease. She flapped her wings faster and handed Rainbow Dash the horseshoe. Bolin was wearing a rainbow afro and was waving pom palms as well, and cheered along with the Cloudsdale cheerleaders.

"Qualify, Ponyville! Qualify, Ponyville!"

Pinkie Pie jumped up and cheered while throwing confetti, "Woo-hoo! Go, Rainbow Dash!"

The timer keep on going, Rainbow Dash was giving it her all, flying at top speed. Down bellow, Korra kept on chanting, "Come on, come on, come on." while Mako was bitting his nails nervously and Applejack chewed on one of her betyys.

Time was almost out and right before the timer reached the limit, Rainbow came zooming onto the finish line.

"Ponyville qualifies!" said the unicorn.

It was a close call, but they did it. Rainbow and her team did it. Korra, Mako and Bolin jumped up and cheered for there friends' victory. Even the Wonderbolts cheered for them.

Bolin; "Alright!!"

Mako; "Yeah!"

Korra; "They did it!"

Rainbow, Fluttershy and Bulk smiled at the adoring a applauds. Fluttershy couldn't believe it, they were all cheering. For her. She came though for team Ponyville.

The qualifying teams lined up as the unicorn levitated metals for each of the teams. To Rainbow's surprise, Spitfire walked up to her and gave her her Wonderbolts spin, placing it near her metal. Her way of saying thanks. Rainbow smiled in gratitude and Korra smiled proudly at the scene.

The three teens and ponies all gathered around the three pegasus ponies, Twilight wrapping her hoof around Rainbow's shoulder, smiling proudly. Korra joined in the hug and the two ponies nuzzled against her face. The friends all smiled for the camera.

"Equestria Games, here we come!"

(~)

At the train ride back, Korra watched as the stunning Rainbow Falls disappeared from view. Another adventure over, but she knew there would be plenty more from here on out with the Equestria games just around the corner.

Mako wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm great."

Rainbow Dash flew up to the two, "Hey, Korra. I wanted to say I'm sorry again for making you keep my secret. I never should have put that pressure on you."

"It's okay, Rainbow. You're not the only one who's learned something today."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Sometimes, the right choice isn't the easiest one to take. And it takes a good friend to show you the way."

Korra happily rested her head on Mako's shoulder. Somehow, the experience, unexpectedly, brought them a little closer together.

(~)

"Oh, I can't deny it. I love to win! But if I ever gotta choose between winning and being loyal to my friends, I'm always gonna choose my friends. 'Cause as much as I love winning, I love them waaaaay more."

Rainbow watched as her friends were happily galloping outside for Twilight's house. Korra peeked her head through the door, "Come on, Rainbow!"

"I'll be right there!" she placed her medallion on the side of the pedestal where the book stood.

When the pin Spitfire had given her glowed with a Rainbow Hue.

(~)

"It's always important to trust your friends. But, other times, It's just as important to know when to let them know when they're in the wrong.

That takes true Loyalty.

Hope to see you next time for another installment of

Tales of Equestria!

Chapter 9–Simple Ways

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"Ah! Love is in the air! And It's not even Heart's and Hooves day

Ah, love. Such a mystery and a treasure for all….gag!

Well, this tale is indeed a love story. But not the kind you would expect.

Confused? Well, let's find out.

(~)

Simple Ways

Rarity happily galloped across Air Temple Island, looking for her human friend. "Korra? You here, darling? I was hoping you had some old shirts you could spare. I need some blue fabric for my new dress but the store's all out."

To answer her question, Rarity spotted her human companion, flying around the skies in her new wind glider, practicing her airbending. She also spotted a certain firebender, who stood at the center of a platform watching the Avatar soar across the skies like a pegasus pony.

"Hello, Mako."

"Oh, hey Rarity."

"What's Korra doing?"

"She's practicing her air gliding skills." he said as he watched the Avatar zoom and speed across the clouds. He watched her with such admiration. "Isn't she amazing?"

"Indeed." Rarity agreed, noticing the way Mako was looking at her friend.

Korra was so lucky to have somebody who looked at her the way Mako did. Such admiration and love in his eyes, even a blind person could see it. However, as happy as she was for the young couple, she couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy. She always dreamed of finding a stallion who would love her the way Mako did Korra. What always amazed her was that Korra was one of the most unfeminine girls Rarity had met, aside from Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and yet this tall handsome young man looked at her as if she were the most tuning creature on earth. Even his eyes on Asami never carried this much passion.

Korra finally landed, closing up her glider, which was colored blue instead of the traditional red. She was an individual that way. "How was that?" she asked.

"You were incredible up there!" Mako said, practically swooning.

"You were dazzling!" Rarity commented.

"Thanks, Rare." Korra squatted down to her level, "So what brings you here?"

"I was hoping if you had any old shirts I could use for a new dress?"

"Of course. Is it for anything special?"

"Indeed!" said Rarity, "We're having a Ponyville Days festival and, guess who was appointed the Pony of Ceremonies." she said so in a sing-song tone.

Korra smiled knowingly, "Let me guess, is she incredibly stylish?"

"Yes."

"Talented?"

"Yes."

"Name starts with an 'R'?"

"Yes!"

Korra tapped her chin, pretending to figure out who it was, when in reality she was just teasing. "Hmmm, I wonder who it could possibly be." she then tapped Rarity's nose, "Could it be….you?"

"Yes! I was elected!"

"Congratulations Rarity!"

"What's the Pony of Ceremonies suppose to do?" Mako asked, "And what's so special about this festival?"

"It celebrates the founding of Ponyville, and the pony of ceremonies is elected to organize the whole thing!"

"Isn't Pinkie Pie helping out?" Mako asked….right when the said pony appeared on his back.

"Not this time!"

"Ah!" Mako backed away screaming and Pinkie Pie landed safely on the ground.

"But I'm glad the committee didn't automatically pick me so everypony gets a chance to see how great being me actually is!"

Mako blinked, not even bothering to ask how she got here so quickly.

"I expect you two will be attending?" Rarity said.

"Of course!" Korra said enthusiastically, "We wouldn't miss it for the world! Right Mako?"

"Sounds like fun to me." he said.

"Do you know what you're gonna do for the festival?" Korra asked.

"Oh, I might have a few ideas." using her magic, she created a holographic scale model of all of Ponyville, and the way she will be decorating it for the festival. Korra and Mako were amazed to see all of the details in the image.

"Just a few?" Korra asked with an arched eyebrow and smirk.

"Well, maybe more than a few."

(~)

The following day, Team Avatar and the Mane Six were at Rarity's boutique, where she had already prepared a runway inside to demonstrate her ideas for the festival. Pinkie Pie was standing at the tips of her front hooves, "I'm so excited for the festival, I can hardly stand up straight!" she fell face first into the floor, making Rainbow roll her eyes.

"Me too." said Twilight, "I'm glad Rarity was picked. I know she'll add a touch of elegance to the whole thing!"

"Probably more than a touch!" said Mako, knowing just how 'overboard' Rarity can get with elegance and style. Korra playfully elbowed him.

The lights dimmed, only the lights on the runway were lit, and Spike stepped out wearing a tuxedo and played a phonograph and adjusted his bow tie, clearing his throat as he addressed to the crowd. A spotlight shined over him, and he stood beside a blank canvass while reading from flash cards.

"This year's Ponyville Days festival, designed by Rarity, will feature various high-class events such as…" he lifted up the blank sheet, to reveal the canvass was a large notebook, and the following image was a detailed drawing of ponies in elegant clothing drinking cider, "a silent cider auction and tasting." Spike said.

The Mane Six, and Bolin, all 'Ooooh!'d in awe, while Mako, Korra and Asami watched in silence, but still attentive. Spike lifted the drawing to reveal another of ponies ball room dancing.

"A Ponyville gala in town square."

The Mane Six and Bolin, minus Asami, Korra and Mako went "Ahhhh!"

Spike lifted the image again to reveal another of ponies down a runway, "And, of course, a Ponyville fashion show."

"Ooooh!"

"This year's Ponyville Days festival pony of ceremonies creates shimmering couture of her own design."

The curtain opened to reveal Rarity wearing a shimmering gown of bleu and purpled with a ring-like jewel around her horn and matching earrings, apparently pierced with more diamonds.

"And the theme is... "Small. Town. Chic"!" she said with such pizzaz.

Korra marveled at her friend's dress, "Wow, Rarity. You really have put a lot of effort into this. And you put my old shirts to good use."

"I'll say." said Bolin.

"Oh, I think it's going to be a magical evening." Fluttershy said dreamily.

Rarity gasped with delight, "Do you really think so?"

"Are you kidding?" Pinkie Pie asked, "I can't wait!"

Bolin then whispered to Asami, "Think you can hook me and Mako up with some new duds by then?"

"No problem." said the heiress.

"Oh, that's such a relief." Rarity said while Spike rolled her a small plight of stairs for her to walk down off of the runway, and the lights turned on once more. "But of course, I couldn't possibly do it all on my own. The festival is in three days!"

"Pinkie Pie and I can hang lights and decorations in the town square!" said Rainbow Dash.

"And I can get Sweet Apple Acres all ready for the cider tasting'." said Applejack.

"And I'll make sure Pabu get his bath before then." said Bolin, only to receive a hiss from his ferret, who was playing with a ball of yarn with Rarity's cat Opal.

Rarity smiled, "Oh, that's just perfect! And now, Twilight, if you, Korra, Asami and Fluttershy wouldn't mind helping with the fashion show…"

Twilight Sparkle; "Of course!"

Fluttershy; "I'd be honored."

Asami; "I'd love to!"

Korra; "Just say the word and I'm there."

"Wonderful! I can focus on the thing I'm worried about most of all."

"What's that?" Asami asked.

"Creating a Ponyville Days festival fantastic enough to impress... Trenderhoof!" Rarity's eyes sparkled with awe and admiration. A look all of Team Avatar were all too familiar with already.

"Uh, who's Trenderhoof?" Applejack asked.

Rarity gasped in shock, "What?! How can you not know who Trenderhoof is?" she galloped along to another curtain, which she levitated open with her magic, to reveal a shrine, completely filled with magazine covers, head-shots and photographs about a tan colored male pony with glasses and a pale yellow mane wearing somewhat of a nerdy but stylish grey/green shirt with orange collar. His eyes were violet and there were hearts all around the pictures. Rarity's pale face blushed as she looked at the images.

"Trenderhoof is only the most amazing, handsomest travel writer to have ever traveled or written! He's an old friend of mine from when I was just a filly!"

"He's from Ponyville?" Twilight asked.

"Well, no. I met him once during a summer vacation with my family in Phylidelphia. We were staying at a lovely resort not long after Sweetie Belle was born. I met him at the resort's playtime park for children. We became fast friends. We both loved all things unique and beautiful, and he was so good at seeing the details in almost anything! But, alas, it was not meant to be forever. Once our vacation was over, I had to say goodbye to my sweet Trenderhoof. After that, I eventually found out that he had become a famous travel writer! Before Las Pegasus became an Equestria travel destination, he wrote about it! Before the culinary revolution in Trottingham, he discovered it! He knows what's going to be hot even before it's tepid!" she giggled as she hugged a poster.

Korra smiled, "Sounds like somepony has a little bit of a crush."

Rarity literally swooned as she allowed Korra to catch her, "Oh, Korra, "crush" doesn't even begin to describe it. He's practically divine. I can't believe he's coming!" the unicorn leaped off and began giggling with excitement as she marveled at the posters, while the others all looked at one another skeptically.

Bolin chuckled, "She's got it bad!"

(~)

Latter that day, Rarity, Twilight and Korra awaited at the train station to welcome Trenderhoof to Ponyville. Rarity was in a frenzy at seeing her childhood crush all over again. She was fanning herself with a fan to wipe away the possible sweat dripping on her brow.

"Thank you ever so much for joining me, girls. I don't think I could have met Trenderhoof on my own!"

"It's no problem, but you shouldn't be nervous about meeting him." said Twilight.

Korra agreed, "Yeah. Besides, you've known him before, I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to see you again."

"You really think so?"

"Of course. You're the coolest unicorn I know. What pony wouldn't like you?"

Rarity smiled in gratitude, "You always have the sweetest things to say, Korra. I guess I'm just hoping to one day have what you and Mako have. Somepony who looks at me the way Mako looks at you. With love and admiration, but also with confidence. Almost like the very idea of you inspires him in some strange mysterious way. Or maybe that's just my inner artist talking rubbish."

Korra did not think it was rubbish, because what Rarity felt was exactly how she felt around Mako. She always did feel there was something linking them together that went beyond more just a touchy feeling in your stomach. It was more than that and she knew it. She never knew how to place it into words, but she knew it was real. Even if it was hard to see. In a way, it was similar to how she felt about the Mane Six. A thread that connected them all like spiritual sisters. Maybe there was more to this 'soul mate' business than most people led to believe. Both in romance and in friendship.

"I know you'll find somepony like that, Rarity." Korra said with compassion and confidence.

Once the train arrived, Rarity's head speeded up and the doors opened as a crowd of ponies walked out. Rarity tried to see Trenderhoof but she could not find him anywhere.

"Is that him? Is he here? Twilight, is he there?"

"Uhh… I'm not sure." said the alicorn.

"You don't suppose he's decided not to come? I don't see him! What if he doesn't arrive? The whole festival will be a disaster! Girls, where is he?!"

All eyes were on the hyperactive lovesturck unicorn. Realizing her outburst, she blushed and straightened herself.

"Sorry."

"Rarity, I get you're nervous but you have to get a hold of yourself." said the Avatar, "I mean, you haven't even seen him yet!"

Just then, one final pony stepped out, a unicorns with a tan colored coat and tall proportions. Rarity turned around and her eyes sparkled in awe.

There he was, her old Trenderhoof from her childhood. He was even more handsome in person that in her posters. For a moment, it was like going back in time to when she was a filly. All of those feelings returned, the heart race, the flush on her face, the weakness in her knees, it was like a tsunami of emotion. But then reality hit her and she hid behind the Avatar and Alicorn.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"Shh! It's him, it's him, is it him? Is it him? It's him, he's here, he's here!" Rarity was no not herself right now, she was even worse than Fluttershy.

"Well, go up and talk to him!"

Rarity held on to Twilight's back leg, hiding underneath her tail, screeching unintelligible, "I--I can't!"

Korra and Twilight shared the same looks and the Avatar forcibly lifted the unmoving unicorn up and carried her in her arms. With a serious expression, she walked over to the male unicorn, "Excuse me, you're Trenderhoof, right?"

The unicorn looked at the new creature, "Uh….yes?"

"I believe you've met Rarity." she placed the unicorn in front of the male pony. The unicorn was still paralyzed in place. "Have fun." Korra said before walking back to Twilight, leaving Rarity to speak to her old crush. The poor pony couldn't keep her heart steady.

"Uh, hi– Hello, Mr. Trenderhoof."

"Wait, Rarity? Is that really you?"

Rarity's face became even brighter in red, "Uh, oh, yes! Been a long time, hasn't it?"

"It certainly has." he said happily to see his old friend, "You look amazing!"

"Really?! I--I mean, thank you. You look quite marvelous yourself." she giggled before clearing her throat, "I have been chosen as pony of ceremonies for the Ponyville Days festival. So, I really look forward to you witnessing what I've arrange, Mr. Tranderhoof." she laughed nervously.

"Rarity, please. We're old friends, call me 'Trend'." he smiled, his pearl white teeth shimmering, which only made Rarity blush all the more before passing out in a daze.

Korra and Twilight face/hoof palmed themselves. "Uh. She's worse than I was." said Korra.

"Tell me about it."

(~)

After regaining her composure, Rarity began showing Trenderhoof all around Ponyville. "It really is wonderful to see you again." said Rarity, "A lot has changed since we saw each other. For starters, I am now the proud owner of my new fashion business."

"I always knew you would be a success." Trend said, "You were always so talented with that sort of thing. I'm so proud of you."

Rarity giggled but tried her best to keep her cool.

"I've been meaning to ask, who was that creature at the train station?"

"You mean Korra? Don't worry, she's perfectly harmless. Unless you get on her bad side, in which case you better run." she and Trend laughed at the joke, she was already feeling comfortable with her old friend again, "I met her once in Republic City."

"Never heard of it. In what part of Equestria is it?"

"Oh, it's not in Equestria, it's in a different world entirely. It's kind of a long story. Let's just say, my friends and I found a magical book, got sucked in and made friends with Korra and the other humans. Oh! And she gave al of us these new abilities! Watch this."

Her horn glowed and, from the river underneath the bridge, Rarity bended the water and froze it in place, making an alicorn ice statue. "Ta-da!"

Trend was very impressed, "Wow! That's remarkable! You're so lucky!"

"Oh, it's really nothing. I've already made marvelous ice sculptures for the festival."

"Speaking of which, I'm dying to know what you have planed. I'm sure it'll involve something as amazing and otherworldly as your new powers and that Korra friend of yours."

Rarity gulped, "Um, what do you mean?"

"I figured you would grab inspiration from them. You always did have a knack for finding motivation in strange places, and what could be stranger than your new powers and a whole different world? And I mean 'weird' in a nice way, of course. That's how the word is used often now a days."

"Oh, well, um…" Rarity had to come up with something, maybe she could add a few more Republic City elements to the festival, it shouldn't be so hard, the world did have a few classy elements. Then again, Trend never saw the place so it probably wouldn't be an issue. Still, she really wanted to impress him, maybe she could get Korra to sing after the fashion show or something. She wouldn't mind doing that.

"Well, did I mention Korra is going to sing at the festival as well?"

"Really?! She can sing too?"

"Of course! She has the voice of an angel! You're going to love it. And here in the square is where the Ponyville Days gala will be. Music, dancing! And of course a locally sourced menu of delicious treats."

"Reminds me of the "Spring Fling meets Manehattan Wedding" I wrote about in Gallop & Prance." said Trend as they continued to walk.

"Exactly! I, I can't even describe how much your work has influenced me!"

So far so good, she thought.

(~)

She then led Trend to the farm where Applejack worked, "And finally, Sweet Apple Acres. Ponyville's core, heh-heh, so to speak, where our quaint little hamlet began."

Trend marveled at the beauty of the farm. He simply adored new and exotic things. "Oh, breathtaking! I've heard about it of course, but to see it in vérité, to stand on the soil of a working farm... You can really feel the authenticity." he squatted downa nd dug his hooves into the soil, marveling at it.

"Oh, yes, uh, they, they really do grow apples here." her heart raced when Trend placed his hoof over her shoulder.

"Thank you, Rarity. Thank you for bringing me here. This farm is truly something special."

"Oh, I had planned to transform it into an elegant country inn for the festival... but now I see just how special it is au naturel."

"Au naturel indeed."

Rarity silently swooned as she gazed into Trenderhoof's eyes, her heart leaping out of her chest. She suddenly completely forgot where she stood, all that mattered now was him and her. Together. However, the infatuated unicorn was about to discover that the feeling was not entirely mutual.

"Who… is... that?"

Trend's attention shifted from Rarity to something, or someone, behind her. She spun around only to find Applejack bucking apples in the hot day sun, the pony wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Who? Applejack?" Rarity was confused as to why Trend would be interested in the country pony, and in what way?

Trend absentmindedly shoved Rarity aside to get a better look at the orange colored, blond-haired mare. Trend's eyes widened in awe as he watched the way the mare swiftly moved her mane as the apples fell around her. Her eyes were a stunning shade of emerald, it was looking the gems themselves became her eyes. And her coat, so brightly orange like the sunrise, and her mane was a perfect shade of gold. She looked so strong, so powerful and confident, her independent spirit was evident in every move she made. She was so focused in her work but, in Trend's mind, he could have sworn she was looking at him, smiling with her emerald eyes. He was too smitten to realize this was only in his mind's eye.

Rarity eyed at the unicorn, "Ahem! Why are you staring at her like that?"

Trend slowly moved away from Rarity, his eyes glued to the second pony before him. "I've seen a lot in my travels, but I've never beheld such beauty. Applejack... The pony of my dreams…"

Those words were enough to shatter Rarity's heart. After trying her best ti impress her old flame, here he was making goggly eyes at one of her best friends.

She couldn't even begin to describe how hurt she felt. This was exactly how Korra felt when Mako was with Asami. She would know, and now she was feeling the exact same way.

Knowing and understanding how a person feels is much different than actually feeling it yourself.

(~)

Korra arrived at the boutique and entered the place, looking for her friend. "Rarity? You home?"

Spike ran up to her. "Korra! Thank goodness!"

"What's wrong?"

"It's Rarity! She's been sobbing since I got here. I tried to understand what she's saying but---."

"Let me try and talk to her." Korra followed the sobs to the curtain where Rarity had her Trenderhoof shrine and sat beside the sobbing unicorn. Her tears caused her mascara to run down her eyes.

"Rarity, sweetie what happened?" Korra gently stroked her mane. The unicorn lifted up her head and began speaking, her sobs making her words hard to understand.

"He--e-e d--d--do li--ike eh!"

Spike arched an eyebrow, "Hu?"

"She said; "He doesn't like me"." Korra translated.

"Who doesn't like her?"

Rarity cried again, "Tre--tre-end--er--ooff!"

"Trenderhoof?" Korra asked, rather surprised, "I thought you two were getting along great."

"A--Apple---ack--ruin---every---thi--i--ing!"

"Applejack? What did she do?"

Rarity finally stopped her sobbing and managed to speak normally, but while still with a deeply distressed tone, "He doesn't like me because he has a crush on Applejack, even though I've had a crush on him ever since the beginning of time, and it's not fai--i--ir!"

"He has a crush on Applejack?" Korra was rather surprised. Not at the fact that a pony would be smitten with Applejack or any other member of the Mane Six for that matter, they are all adorable ponies with wonderful personalities, but she was disappointed that the pony who did like Applejack was an old childhood flame of Rarity's. This was going to make things complicated for the four of them.

"Trenderhoof doesn't like you?" Spike asked, "That's ridiculous!"

Rarity sobbed as she gazed at the pictures of her dream stallion, "Oh, Spike, how could you ever know what it's like to be totally obsessed with a pony only to find out they're obsessed with somepony else?"

Both Korra and Spike shared the same 'are you kidding me' stare. This unicorn was almost as oblivious as a certain firebender they both knew. Korra placed her hand on Rarity's shoulder, "Rarity, I'm so sorry you're feeling hurt. But there really isn't anything you can do."

"Oh, Korra! You know what it's like to have the man of your dreams in the arms of another, what do I do?!"

"Well, you could just tell him the truth. Who knows, maybe what he feels for A.J. is just a temporary thing."

Rarity sniffed as she dried her eyes, "Do you think he'll like me then?"

"Well, I can't guarantee anything because--"

"I'll do it!" the unicorn zipped away to find her beloved, leaving a very concerned Korra and Spike behind.

"This isn't going to end well, is it?" Spike asked, but Korra didn't know what to answer.

(~)

Applejack was walking down the street with her basket of apples on her back, while a timid Trenderhoof hid behind an alley. Rarity spotted him and tried to confess how she felt.

"Trend, there you are! I need to tell you som--"

"There she is!" he interrupted, paying more attention to Applejack than his old friend. "Isn't she magnificent?"

Rarity narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "Anyway, I've been meaning to tell you, I--"

"Do you think she'll like me?" Trend asked, still oblivious to what Rarity was trying to say. "Should I go over and say 'hi'? Or should I wait until she passes by?"

"Um, Trend--"

"Does my breath smell?"

"Trenderhoo--"

"What if I bring her some flowers? Oh wait, does she like flowers? Daisies maybe?"

Rarity had had enough, she needed to say it and she needed to say it now.

"I like you!" Rarity slightly backed away at her outburst. She felt so embarrassed.

"What?" Trend asked, not having understood what she said due to her being so quick.

"I…I like you, Trend. A lot."

Trend was silent for a moment before smiling kindly. "I like you too Rarity."

The unicorn beamed, "You do?!"

"Of course…we're friends after all."

Rarity grunted in frustration before storming away. This unicorn was absolutely clueless. She felt so mad she wished she was a firebender and could burn something to the ground. "Applejack." she said the name with venom in her voice, "I mean, what could she possibly have that I don't?!"

That's when it hit her. If simply saying how she felt wasn't enough, maybe she should show it instead.

(~)

Applejack walked casually when Trend, having finally summoned the courage to speak to her, approached and began a conversation with the mare. Much to her surprise.

"You know, I have such respect for the work ethic of Earth ponies." he said, trying his best to sound charming.

Applejack politely smiled, "Uh, gee, thanks. Granny Smith always said, "Pick an apple a day and keep trouble away"."

"How many varieties of apples do you think there are?"

"Uh, on the farm or in all of Equestria? 'Cause—" she was interrupted when Trend levitated an apple to eat.

"I once had an apple so rare, they thought it was extinct. I ate four of them." he bit on the apple, accidentally making a few bits and even the juice to become splattered over A.J.'s face.

"Is that a fact?" she wiped the juice and bits away.

"That's my thing. I take the mundane, the simple, the unappreciated, and I make it relatable."

"Well, I hope you can relate to Ponyville."

Trenderhoof noticed that Applejack was walking farther and farther away but managed to catch up to her, still eager to impress the mare. He walked backwards in front of her. "Me too. But enough about me. I wanna know about you! What do apples mean to Applejack?"

A.J. may not be an expert when with comes to flirting, but that didn't mean she couldn't spy a desperate attempt when she saw one. She's seen what male ponies would do to impress a mare, and she could tell what this pony's attempt was from a mile away. And she was boy buying what he was selling. If she were to ever be with a stallion in her life, it would be one with manners and dignity, not this love sick puppy.

"Look, I'm glad you're interested in Ponyville 'n' all, but I'm kinda busy with my chores. And if I can't get 'em done, there won't be a Ponyville Days festival for you to write about."

"Well, that will never do!"

Applejack noticed her best friend Rarity, now wearing a bewailed stray-hat with a pink ribbon, a matching basket and pink country books. It was like a very country version of Rarity's style which, while nice to look at, certainly was new for her.

"Rarity, what are you wearing'?" Applejack asked in disbelief.

"What, this old thing?" Rarity smiled proudly at her getup, for which Trend didn't even notice due to him still looking at A.J.

"Aren't you too busy plannin' the festival to keep makin' new outfits for it?"

"I am. But the thought of hauling apples inspired me, and I just couldn't stop myself!"

Applejack arched an eyebrow skeptically, "Really? You?"

"If there's one thing I love, it's hauling apples!"

"Since when?" Applejack muttered under her breath.

Trenderhood gazed dreamily at the orange pony, "I'm growing fond of it myself."

"Maybe you two should try it sometime." she muttered under her breath once more.

"I'm feeling a tad inspired." Trend then began to speak in poem, which only annoyed Applejack even more while Rarity swooned. "Without farm life, there'd be such disparity. These thoughts I think with great clarity. Apples high to the sky. She's the one of my eye. That fruit-hauling pony named... Applejack!"

Rarity's jaw dropped as did her heart. For a brief moment she thought he was talking about her. But no. What more was she to do?

(~)

Asami made a camera image with her hands as she instructed the two brothers who moves the tables. "A little to the right. No, the left. Just a little to the right. Perfect, right there!"

Mako and Bolin panted, having had to carry the tables for almost and hour. Team Avatar was helping Twilight and Fluttershy with the preparations of the festival. THe girls arranged the runway, the two winged ponies hovered above while Korra used her airbending.

Mako wiped the sweat firm his forehead, "Where's Rarity? She's the Pony of Ceremonies, shouldn't she be here?"

Speak of the dragon, Rarity appeared, looking bitter and distraught. Korra and the girls noticed and lowered down to greet her. "How'd it go with Trend?" Korra asked.

The unicorn screamed at the top of her lungs in frustration, the noise practically blowing their ears off.

"I'm guessing not so well." Korra wiggled her finger into her ear in hopes of getting rid of the ringing sound.

"I tried to tell him but he's utterly clueless! And he's still got his eyes on Applejack!"

"Well, Rare maybe he's just not interested in you that way." Korra said sincerely, "I never said there were any guarantees."

Rarity was far to upset to answer. Before Korra could sympathize further, Mako called out to them both. "Well, since you're here, mind helping us out with this fashion show of yours?"

Bolin took out some of the ribbons from a box for the stage and Korra, much to his surprise, used her airbending to arrange the decorations perfectly around the curtains of the runway.

"Wow! Somebody's been practicing." Mako said, impressed. His reaction caught Rarity's attention.

Korra simply shrugged her shoulders, "Airbending comes in handy at times." to help out, and to show off a bit more, she used her airbending to lift up more of the bows and ribbons and place them up around the curtain, they landed almost perfectly around. But then, she noticed one of them was crocked. "Fluttershy, little pegasistance, please?" The yellow pony adjusted the decoration perfectly, Korra gave her a thumbs up. "Perfect!"

Rarity was also impressed by this trick, but she was even more impressed with the way Mako looked at Korra in admiration. "Nice." he said, his eyes still glued to the Avatar.

Korra turned to her friend, "What do you think Rarity?….Rarity?" The unicorn was already gone. "Not again!"

(~)

"Rarity, why do you want to plow a field?" Spike asked.

Rarity had brought him to Apple Acres's field, where she hoped to impress Trend by proving she can do just as amazing and spectacular things Applejack can. She wanted him to look at her with the same eyes Mako had when he looked at Korra. However, the task was easier said than done, since she hadn't the slightest clue as to how to plow a field…or how the actual plow even worked.

"Is it me, or could this use a splash of color? And maybe a wash!"

"Don't we need to check on the gala decorations?" Spike asked, "Team Avatar's already working hard as it is."

"Yes, yes, of course, but Trend obviously has a thing for farm life. If I can't convince him that I'm just as much of a farm hoof as Applejack, I'll never get him interested in the festival."

Spike crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, "The festival. Right." however, his attitude quickly changed once Rarity hugged him. Making him blush.

"And I do appreciate your help ever so much. I couldn't do a thing without you, Spikey-poo.'

"Well, that's what friends are for!" he said, trying to sound cool.

"Right, so." Rarity jumped onto the plow and pulled on the reins as if she were ridding a horse." she whipped the reins but nothing happened, "Come on! Farm... thing!" she whipped again but quickly sighed in dismay, "Oh, how does Applejack do it?"

"Well, it would help if the harness was on right!" Applejack came walking in with Trenderhoof at her side, much to her annoyance. "What are you doin'?"

"I am simply lending a hoof with the chores, which I love doing ever so much." she said with a dazzling smiled. But Applejack was not buying it while Trend had no idea what was really going on.

"Well if you're still interested after the festival I can teach you all about it." Applejack placed the reins around her body, ready to pull on the plow, "But right now, I need to get the plowin' done, if you don't mind." she galloped away, pulling the blow along with her, causing Rarity to fall right off…and right into Trenderhoof's hooves.

"Not at all." she swooned….only to have Trend toss her aside in order to watch the strong and powerful Applejack blow the fields. It was the same look Mako gave to Korra when she did her new airbending tricks.

"She makes it look so easy." said Spike, just as amazed to see Applejack's raw power.

Trenderhoof sighed dreamily as he watched her work, "I know. Isn't she fantastic?"

This was not going as Rarity had planed. It seemed Trend was now more interested in Applejack more than ever! She needed to amp up her game.

(~)

After plowing, Applejack began bucking the apples. Trend clapped enthusiastically as he observed her work. This stallion was really starting to get on her nerves. She hoped ignoring him would be enough but, clearly, this guy did not take a hint at all. If he wasn't going to leave her alone, maybe another tactic would serve her justice. She in conspicuously rose up one of her hooves, stomping it to the ground, causing a patch of earth to rise up and knock trend a few feet away from her. She didn't harm him but hopefully this would be enough to lure him away from her. Sadly, it did not for he had gotten back up, not even caring, or acknowledging, what had happened. Apparently love did make some poise blind.

Rarity watched form afar as the stallion of her dreams admired Applejack. She needed to prove she was just as amazing as she was.

"I really don't see what the fuss is all about." she said as Applejack continued to work. The unicorn then tried to buck a secondary tree, but she only tapped it lightly with her front hoof, trying to see just how sturdy it was.

"Now, Rarity, you be careful. If you don't get the buckin' just right, you could sprain a hoof."

Rarity scoffed with her hose in the air, "I am perfectly familiar with the apple-bucking process, thank you very much. But while you seem to rely on raw power, I believe a certain amount of style is required." she batted her eyes at Trend, "It's really more of a dance, if you ask me. Much like my waterbending, it takes elegance and creativity."

The unicorn demonstrated this by twirling and humming before kicking the tree with her back back, allowing only one apple to fall and land perfectly on her basket.

"Et voilà!"

Applejack rolled her eyes, unimpressed, "Well, your way is definitely long on style, I'll give ya that much."

"Thank you." Rarity said, not getting the sarcasm.

"Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have some more chores to do." Applejack began walking in the opposite direction, while Trend followed. She stopped midway and turned back, narrowing her eyes at him, "Inside!"

The country pony managed to get herself into the chicken coop to get the eggs, when in reality, she just wanted to get away from Trenderhoof as soon as possible. She hadn't the slightest idea how to reject a stallion's affections and, in al honesty, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. He seemed like a nice fella and he was an old friend of Rarity's. She was in a dilemma alright,

Once A.J. was gone, Rarity had her chance alone time with Trend, who began asking her a question, "Rarity, can I ask you something?"

Rarity beamed. Maybe this was it, maybe her efforts did pay off after all. "Oh, why, Trend, you can ask me anything."

"I've been meaning to ask for a while, and frankly I'm sort of embarrassed."

She knew this was it. This was the moment she dreamed of. She would finally get that gaze she's been wanting for so long.

"Rarity… do you think... Applejack would be my date for the festival?"

Her hopes had died, along with her patience and tolerance. "Why don't you go ask her yourself?! Hmph!" she galloped away angrily, leaving a very confused Trend behind.

(~)

After a while, Applejack finally came out of the coop. She tiptoed by Trend, who was trying to buck apples himself, only to have one land on his horn. She took her chance to gallop into the barn and closed the doors behind her, sighing in relief.

"Whew! Well, that was close."

"If you've come to apologize, there's really no need." Rarity turned away from her friend. She was inside the barn, along with Applejack's brother Big Macintosh.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Let's dispense with the charade, shall we?"

Applejack knew exactly what her friend's dilemma was and she wanted to help her. "Listen, I know you really want Trend to like you—"

"And he does! Despite somepony's best efforts!" Rarity exclaimed before having Big Mac placed a wagon filled with spare wheels inside and adjusted the strap onto her back.

"I swear I don't know why he's so interested me." Applejack said honesty, " I don't know anypony who's that interested in farmin'. Not even me! Besides, I don't even like him that way."

"And you shouldn't! I saw him first!"

Applejack rolled her eyes, here she was arguing with one of her best friends over a pony she wasn't even interested in. "Look, maybe instead of trying to impress Trend you should focus more on the festival you're preparin' for. Or should I say, our friends are?"

Rarity simply rose her nose up and pulled the wagon, "Well, I have a new vision for the festival," she said, her voice suddenly shifting from her normal Mid-Atlantic accent to a country accent mixed in, "and it's gonna be more country than the whole Apple family put together!"

As she left, Applejack and Big Mac shared concerned looks. "This won't end well, will it big brother?"

"Nnnnnnnope!"

(~)

The following day, The Mane Six and Team Avatar were gather at Rarity's boutique once more. This time, the fashion runway was decorated differently. The curtains looked like patched up hand me downs and there were specks of hay around the room. Bolin sneezed as some of the hey caught his nose.

"Um, isn't it a little late to be changing the theme of the festival?" Fluttershy asked.

"And after we put that incredibly large runway in the town square!" Mako exclaimed in annoyance, "I'm still getting glitter out of my hair!" he ruffled his spiky raven locks as more sparkles came falling down like glittering snowflakes.

"What has gotten into Rarity?" Rainbow asked, "It's not like her to just switch themes like this."

Before anyone could answer, Applejack came galloping in. "Applejack, what's going on?" Twilight asked.

"I'm too scared to guess."

"That makes two of us." said Korra.

The lights dimmed and the lights on the runway lit up, as a country version of Rarity was heard. The very sound of it made Korra cringe. This was not the Rarity she knew.

"Firstly, I just want to thank you all for comin', and second, I know y'all will all adore my new festival theme!"

Spike walked out in a straw hat while playing the banjo.

"Why is he playing the banjo?" Bolin asked, "Nobody likes the banjo!"

The curtain opened to reveal Rarity, her once beautiful mane was now messy, an old and worn stray hat rested on her head, her horn sticking out, and she wore dirty overalls. Behind her were farm animals, pigs and chickens, as well as stacks of hey, a wagon, pitch forks and horse shoes on the wall.

"Simple Ways!"

For a moment, everyone was silent. Words could not describe how wrong this was. What possessed Rarity to want to try a theme that was way out of her comport zone. The silence broke when the lights turned back on and Applejack, Korra and Mako started laughing hysterically at the scene. Applejack leaned on Flutteshy while Mako and Korra leaned one ache other, still laughing.

"Well? What's so funny?" Rarity asked, still in her bad country accent.

"Rarity, that is the silliest getup I have ever seen!" said Applejack, still laughing.

Korra had to cover her mouth to stop her giggles, "Wha--What were you thinking? This is so not you!"

"I have to agree!" Mako said, also trying his hardest not to laugh.

Even Fluttershy chuckled a bit, "It is a little funny."

"Fun-nay?" Rarity asked in confusion, still using her accent throughout.

Twilight Sparkle laughed as well, "Rarity, you aren't serious, are you?"

Bolin approached her and removed her straw hat, "You wouldn't be caught dead wearing this stuff."

Rarity angrily levitated the hat back and hit him in the head with it before placing it back onto her own head, "Well of course I'm serious–" realizing she had reverted back to her old voice, she cleared her throat and reverted back in country accent, Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Bolin's right." said Applejack, "You would never dress like that."

"You like fashion and high society and fancy things." all eyes shifted to Asami when she said this. "What?"

"And I can like plowin' fields and haulin' apples just as much."

"But you don't!" Korra stated.

"How do you know what I like?"

"Because we know you." said Applejack.

Rarity shoved her aside, "Wail, maybe you don't know me as well as you thank."

Korra crossed her arms, "Oh, really? And I suppose it's just a coincidence that Trenderhoof seemed so interested in country life, too?"

Mako shook his head in disbelief, "Wait, all of this is for a guy?! Are you kidding me?!"

Bolin muttered under his breath, "Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

However, the three human teens did indeed hear him and gained up on the earthbender, "What's that suppose to mean?!" they exclaimed while narrowing their eyes.

"Nothing." he said in fear at their glaring eyes.

Korra dismissed it and squatted down to Rarity's level, "Rare, I'm sorry I gave you the wrong advice last time, but now I think you're taking this Trend thing way too far."

"I don't know what you're gittin' at!" Rarity protested, when deep down she did know but tried to deny it.

Korra could see straight through her. Clearly, talking was not going to be enough for this mare. Her sight was blinded by a childhood desire. There was only one thing she needed to do now. She stood up, crossing her arms looking at the pony sternly.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to show you!"

"Be my guest! Now, if you all will excuse me, I have a hootenanny of a festival to put on." the unicorn left the boutique, leaving a growling angry Korra behind.

"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked. "The festival is tomorrow night."

"We don't have time to change everything into a country fest." said Applejack.

But Korra had an idea, "We're not changing anything. The festival will be exactly as originally intended."

"But what about Rarity?" Bolin asked.

"For now, everyone just keep on working on the preparations, while I handle little miss southern belle."

The friend all looked at her with concern. "You sure Korra?" Mako asked, "Last time you spoke with her--"

"I know I made a mistake." said the Avatar, "But I know exactly what I need to do now. Just trust me."

The friends decided to comply, after all the decorations and everything was already halfway done, they couldn't change everything at the last minute. And the determination in Korra's eyes was enough to convince everyone. They nodded in agreement before walking out to get back to work, only Applejack remained.

"What are you planin'?" she asked the Avatar, who smirked.

"I've got a plan to snap our Rarity back. But I'm gonna need your help."

"I'm all ears."

(~)

At Sweet Apple Acres, Spike listed things on a clipboard while Rarity was speaking to a row of young fillies who would be modeling for her fashion show. They would be demonstrating the youthful designs.

"Now, to be a model in the Simple Ways fashion show, you might think "simple" means "less is more". Well, that just ain't so. If you want to be real simple, more is more."

She levitated an old stray hat, a patch of dirk with nearly dead flowers, a pair of worn out overalls and two green galoshes. She placed them onto Apple Bloom, Applejack's younger sister, much to her and the other fillies' horror. The outfit was dreadful and unlike the fabulous Rarity Ponyville knew.

"Now, y'all go off and make yourselves look just like that."

The very confused fillies left the barn, while Apple Bloom struggled to move in her new getup. The unicorn turned to Spike, "Who's our next model for the fashion show?"

Spike read the next name on the clipboard, squinting his eyes as he read the name, "Um… Apple... Jewel?"

"Who the hay is that?"

The lights all of a sudden dimmed and tango music played. A spotlight shined onto the stage as a new pony emerged in a stunning pink and aqua dress, her golden mane styled upwards, decorated with a stunning apple-shaped jewel with a pink and aqua stone.

It was Applejack!

Rarity could not believe her eyes, since when did Applejack behave like…well, like she use too?

None the less, Applejack really ruled the runway. She walked with an elegance that Rarity had never seen. She even gave them a pouty sassy look as a final pose.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Rarity asked in disbelief. This had to be some silly prank.

Applejack opened her mouth, but instead of sounding like her country self, she spoke in an upper-class accent throughout, which was very unlike Applejack. "Why, Rarity, whatever would make you think I was joking?"

Rarity's voice temporarily reverted back to normal, "Because you would never wear an ensemble like that. You like plowing fields and hauling apples—"

"And I can like fashion just as much." she said, poking her hoof at Rarity's hat, only to have her adjust it latter.

"But you don't!"

Applejack held her nose up high, "Well, maybe you do not know me as well as you think."

Rarity's voice reverted back to her usual country version, not knowing that somebody else was just outside of the barn, snickering as she listened to the event.

"Fine. But I got a whole festival to plan, so if you're goin' to start modelin', just get on with it!"

Applejack smiled and commenced her plan, speaking in her upper-class voice as she admired her mane and gown, "Life is a festival, and you should celebrate it by looking just like me! Because I'm a trend-setting fashionista!"

Oh, that was enough to snap Rarity's twig. "You're a trend-setting fashionista?! Why, that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever– I mean…" she reverted back to her country voice and began to scratch her ear like a street dog, "Good for you. I, on the other hoof, couldn't care less how I look, long as I get the chores done." she tapped her nose, giving a stupid look while braying like a mule.

Applejack walked down the runway, smiling mischievously, "Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, indeedy-doodle!"

"Not me! My mane needs to be perfectly coiffed at all times." Applejack admired herself in the mirror.

Rarity angrily removed her hat, exposing her dirty and unbrushed hair, "Well, my mane is full of dust and split ends."

Applejack looked at her remarkably clean hooves, "My hooves are so polished, you can see your reflection in them." she bragged.

"My hooves are cracked and dry from working in the fields!" Rarity showed her her own dirty hooves.

"I'm so fashion-forward."

"I wear droopy drawers!"

"I smell like rosebuds."

"I love being covered in mud!"

Rarity finally snapped as she jumped right into the dirty pig pile. Spike watched in shock as a bit of the mud landed on Applejack's dress. Once Rarity spotted this, something happened.

All of a sudden, everything was clear. She forgot to speak in her country accent, she forgot what she had been trying to prove this whole time. Seeing such a stunning piece of art become suddenly damaged awoke something within the pony's subconscious. And worse, it was a stain on a gown one of her friends wore. A gown that made her look so beautiful, which was exactly what she always wanted her friends to feel. Beautiful in their own skin, just like herself.

"Goodness! Your couture!" Rarity rushed out of the mud pile and tried to remove the stain with her hooves, "Ooh, it's bad." she then realized she had dirt on herself as well, "Will somepony bring me a towel to wipe this repulsive filth from my hooves?!"

Applejack's voice reverted to normal and she hugged her old friend, "There's the Rarity I know! Your plan worked like a charm Korra!"

To Rarity's surprise, Korra stepped forward into the barn, "Told you."

"Korra?! I knew I had a feeling there was someone else around."

"You did." Korra said, "But you were so caught up with your own thing you didn't take the time to really see what was right in front of you."

It was then, Rarity realized the truth. This whole thing was a way to snap her out of her crazy infatuation with Trend, and to realize who she really was.

"Oh, Korra, Applejack, I'm sorry I said all those things. You're both true friends who probably knows me better than I know myself. I don't know what I was thinking wearing this ridiculous outfit."

"I kinda know how you feel." said Applejack.

"Oh, but you were just trying to help me see how silly I was being. And you were right. I was so obsessed with having somepony look at me in a specific way that I--"

Korra squatted down to her level and removed Rarity's hat, "Rarity, anyone can look at you and say 'wow!', but somebody who loves you just the way you are, will not only be amazed by what you do or how you look…but also for who you are inside. It's the meaning behind the look that should matter the most. You're the pony who showed me that before, remember?"

"That's right." Rarity realized, "I always said you were beautiful just by being you. Maybe I let my inner filly get the best of me. And Applejack, you certainly made a great effort for me. Besides, that gown looks just gorgeous on you. I wish I hadn't ruined it."

"Thanks! It's nice, ain't it?"

"It's magnificent! Wherever did you get it?"

Applejack winced, "Oh, it's, uh, one of yours."

Korra winced as well, she knew what was coming next. Rarity quickly grabbed Spike, "I'll need three gallons of boiling water and one ounce of detergent, stat!"

The little dragon ran out to fetch the items, when Trenderhoof walked in, now wearing overalls and a stray hat.

"I'm moving to Ponyville!" he announced, much to the girls' surprise. "Being the most interesting pony in Equestria is exhausting. I want to leave my exotic, exciting life behind and live on a farm!"

"What?!" the three girls exclaimed in shock. They were never getting rid of him now.

Applejack was probably the most worried, "Well, that's real nice, but I sure hope you weren't thinkin' of Sweet Apple Acres."

Trenderhoof's shoulders dropped in disappointment, "Oh."

Applejack knew she couldn't keep this up any longer. She needed to tell this pony what needed to be done. "Uh, look, you're a fine pony, but, uh, I'm, well uh…"

Before she could continue, Rarity stepped forward, "I think what Applejack is trying to say is that there's something unappealing about a pony who'd change themselves so much just to impress somepony else. If somepony doesn't like you for who you are, it's their loss."

Korra smiled proudly at her friend, having learned her lesson. Even Trenderhoof understood the wisdom of the words. Maybe he had come a bit too strongly and instead of interesting Applejack, he only pushed her farther away.

"Well, this is awkward."

"Not at all." Rarity smiled, "In fact, I think I know just how you feel."

Suddenly, another friend popped in, "So, everything okay on this end?"

"Mako? What are you doing here?" Korra asked.

"I came to tell you everything's all set for tonight."

Rarity then gasped in horror, "Oh my ribbons and threads! The festival! Oh, what was I thinking? There's no time to change the theme now!"

"Rarity, relax." said Applejack, "While you were actin' all love-sick crazy, Korra and the rest of us took care of everythin'."

(~)

"Presenting; "Small Town Chic"!"

Korra removed her hands from Rarity's eyes and she gasped in awe. The entire placed looked exactly as she had imagined, if not better. The teens even made a bold move as to add flowers from their world into the setting.

"I hope you don't mind, I got Tenzin to let us use some flowers from the island." said Korra.

Rarity was at a loss for words. "I…I don't know what to say. You all did this for me?"

"Of course we did!" said Rainbow Dash.

"We were happy to help." said Fluttershy.

"Speak for yourself." said Mako, "I'll be getting glitter out of my for weeks." he wiggled his ear, only to have said glitter fall from his ear.

"This is perfect!" said Rarity, "I can't thank you all enough! Well, maybe there is one way." with her waterbending, Rarity began levitating the water from the pond and froze it on the center table, creating various ice sculptures of all of her friends in a matter of seconds. The friends felt touched by this gesture.

"For the wonderful friends who not only know when to get me back to my senses…but who always look at me as the unicorn I am. Inside."

It didn't take long for everyone to gather in a group hug around Rarity. While she may not have gotten the romantic glance she had hopped for, the genuinely loving glances she received from her friends was more than enough. Trend was a tad hesitant to join in as well, but Rarity assured him he was welcomed into her circle of friends. And so, he did join.

Once the hug ended, Rarity remembered another thing, "Oh, I almost forgot. I may have mentioned that Korra would sing tonight."

"Me?"

"If you'e still up for it, that is."

Korra smiled in return.

(~)

"Organizing the Ponyville Day celebration was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But I learned an important lesson. Real friends will like you for who you are, and changing yourself to impress them is no way to make new ones. And when you're as fabulous as I am, it's practically a crime!"

And so, the celebration went as planed. The festival was a lovely high class celebration with dancing and merriment. Bolin danced with the rest of the Mane Six while Korra and Mako danced with each other. Applejack too with Granny Smith when Trenderhoof came, asking for a dance. Only, instead of Applejack, he asked Granny Smith. Applejack smiled, maybe he wasn't such a bad pony after all.

Asami was a bit lonely standing in a corner when both brothers, Mako and Bolin asked her to dance at the same time. She kindly accepted the kind offer to dance with the two dashing young men.

Meanwhile, Rarity's fashion show was a big hit. She modeled her lovely blue gown she had made as the ponies applauded. Once she returned back stage, Korra clapped for her.

"That was great, Rarity. They loved it!"

"This never would have happened without your help."

"So, did you and Trend work things out?"

"Yes, I explained everything and once I did, I realized he's not the same pony I once knew back then. Just as I'm not the same either. I always thought I needed a pony who would treat me like a princess, but I suppose that's not real love. If I am to ever find somepony, it should be one who treats me as a friend first. Someone who will know when to encourage me, but also when to put me back down."

Korra smiled proudly, "I'm happy to hear that. So, you ready to rock this thing?"

Rarity smirked, "Try and stop me."

The two girls stepped out into the runway, Korra saluted to Vinyl Scratch, who adjusted the music to a much more pop tone. Rarity magically removed her gown, showing that underneath the skirt was a pair of bejeweled pants, similar to Korra's current outfit. Spike tossed a pair of microphones and the two sang to the crowd.

(Only you can be you by Cymphonique Miller)

Korra;

Hey, you, what's the matter?

Baby, you've been looking down

Is that someone in the mirror, the reason you don't come around?

Rarity;

Baby, that's crazy

Korra;

This isn't the you I know

Rarity;

Feeling un-pretty

Korra;

Putting on a show

Rarity;

You don't wanna be a wannabe

Korra;

So who you really gonna be?

Korra and Rarity;

Only you and be you

Only I can be me

You always wanna be what you're not

Can't you be happy with what you got?

You're perfect the way you are!

With your insecurities, doubts and scars.

Life's too short to worry

Don't you know it's true

Only you can be you

(You can be you)

Only I can be me

(I can be me)

Only I you can be you

(You can be you)

Only I can be me

Rarity;

I can be me

Korra began rapping the next part as everyone danced to the beat, clapping their hands and hooves.

Korra;

If you love who you are, put your hooves up

You feeling good 'bout yourself, then stand up

You independent and you're strong, throw your hooves up

You feeling fabulous? Put your hooves up

You can be you, I can be me

You're a star, is what I see

You tall, you short, you different, you cute

You light, you dark, you beautiful

You!

The rest of the Mane Six and Team Avatar came up onto the stage and sang along to the chorus.

Only you and be you

Only I can be me

You always wanna be what you're not

Can't you be happy with what you got?

You're perfect the way you are!

With your insecurities, doubts and scars.

Life's too short to worry

Don't you know it's true

Only you can be you

(You can be you)

Only I can be me

(I can be me)

Only I you can be you

(You can be you)

Only I can be me

(~)

"Only you can be you. Only I can be me. Yeah! Oh, I love that song. Well, Rarity certainly learned the importance about being true to yourself. And also, that real love should come from within, and not just from what outside.

Hope to see you next tome for another installment of;

Tales of Equestria!

Chapter 10–Pinkie Pride

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"Hello everybody!

Why am I wearing a party hat, you ask?

Well, today is Rainbow Dash's birthday!

And who better to plan the celebration than our very own, Pinkie Pie! Oh, yes. That little pony certainly has a talent for making friends smile. Bet there aint no pony else like her in all of….oh, wait. Actually, there was this one pony who nearly took Pinkie's thunder.

Want to hear the tale?

Well, it all started in Ponyville, and Pinkie Pie was ac cheerful as ever,

*(~)*

Proverbs 15:13 ~

A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.

*(~)*

Pinkie Pride

Like every day in Equestria, the always lovable Pinkie Pie trotted joyfully, spreading nothing but cheer and smiles wherever she went. It was her life's goal to make everypony smile. Not only that, but she had even gotten her two human friends Bolin and Ikki to help her as well. They carried bags of streamers and inflated balloons, while Pinkie carried hers in her saddle bag. The confetti inside sprayed outwards, almost on its own.

"Wow, Pinkie." said Ikki, "You sure got a lot of party stuff. What's all this for?"

"You'll see Ikki!" the pony responded with a dazzling smile, "If there is one thing I always make sure of, it's that every party is filled with smiles all around!

Music filled the air as she sang her heart out,

Pinkie Pie;

Every single day there's something new you can plan for

Every single day there's something wonderful to do

As she sang she summersaulted, using her airbending to release streamers onto the roof of houses in a lovely fashion.

But nothing makes me happy like a day that I can say

"Today I planned a party, and it's just for you!"

The three friends stopped in front of a Vendor pony who was selling streamers.

"How's it going today, Pinkie?" he asked.

"Great, thanks! Got any streamers today?"

The Vendor Pony chuckled as he handed her a roll of streamers, "You betcha! Big party planned?"

"Don't you know it!" Pinkie said once the roll of streamers rolled onto her bag.

"So what is the party for?" Bolin asked, "You still haven't told us."

"Well duh! Then it wouldn't be a surprise not would it."

"Is it for us?!"

"No, silly!"

Pinkie Pie;

Don't have much time to gather all the things I need

If I'm really gonna make this party fly

Pinkie Pie leaped from roof to roof as she sang.

For today's another day that all of Ponyville will say

Crowd;

There goes the super party pony Pinkie Pie!

Mr. and Mrs. Cake walked along with their babies napping in their stroller.

Mr. and Mrs. Cake;

She planned our first foal shower where we played all sorts of games

Having so much fun as we chose Pound and Pumpkin's names

As they sang, Bolin cooed at the little foals. "Aww, aren't you cure little---Ow!" Bolin ran off once Pound Cake bit his finger.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon watched Pinkie Pie gallop away as they drank milkshakes, one which Diamond too from her supposed best friend.

Diamond Tiara;

She planned my cute-ceañera my dad made me, I won't lie

I demanded all the best, I suppose she passed the test

Sure it was pretty good all thanks to Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie;

"Thanks, I guess?"

"What color paints do you need?" asked another vendor pony, this time felling art supplies. He spoke in a french accent.

"I'm gonna need the full rainbow!" Pinkie said cheerfully while the colors were poured into her bag.

"A paintbrush too?"

"Yes, if you please!"

A female unicorn vendor pony selling banners asked, "And what from me?"

"Your biggest banner! This party's gonna be the best!"

"Haha I don't doubt it!" the unicorn smiled when Pinkie placed a hat over her horn.

As Pinkie went from vendor pony to vendor pony, buying everything she needed while Bolin and Ikki assisted with the things she bought.

Bolin;

Pinkie Pie's a mystery, but a real fun to say

Ikki;

I'm betting there's not other pony with a heart as big and bright as day!

Crowd;

Every single day there's something new we can plan for

Every single day there's something wonderful to try

But nothing makes us happy like a day that we can say

"Today there'll be a party planned by Pinkie Pie!"

In front of Sugar Cue corner, Pinkie Pie was already working on the banner while the Mane Six, the rest of Team Avatar and even the airbender kids watched in amazement as she joyfully painted the banner with all of her love and creativity.

Rarity;

"I don't know how she does it."

Jinora;

"Wow, look at her go!"

Applejack;

"Oh, boy! This is gonna be good!"

Meelo;

"Go, Pinkie, go!"

Crowd;

There's no other pony like her, no pony that could be

As great! (As great!) As fun! (As fun!)

As our super party pony Pinkie!

As the song came to close, Twilight and Rarity levitated the banner and Pinkie Pie showered balloons and confetti everywhere.

Pinkie Pie jumped happily and ruffled Rarity's mane, "Ooh, I am so, so, SO excited because today I'm planning the birthday bash of... Rainbow Dash!"

"Yeah!" the rainbow pegasus posed in the same position she was drawn on the banner and high hoofed her pink friend.

Bolin finally out two and two together, "Oooooooh, that explains all of the rainbow colors."

Mako rolled his eyes at his brother's denseness, while Asami simply giggled. It was kind of adorable when Bolin was clueless.

Then, almost suddenly, Pinkie Pie's tone grew serious. "Rainbow Dash."

"Yes, Pinkie?"

"You realize that, by enlisting me as your party planner, I guarantee that this is going to be the funnest, most fantabulous, superbial party in Ponyville?" as she said all of this, she literally gained up on Rainbow Dash and she was now on the ground, feeling somewhat concerned for Pinkie's sternness.

"Uh…yeah? I guess."

"No guesses! Parties are no picnic."

"Except when they are." Korra pointed out, "Remember that one you made for us at Air Temple Island?"

"I like a nice picnic party." said Fluttershy, who then backed away when Pinkie started growling with her ears lowered and eyes narrowed. "Oh…never mind." she dashed away.

Pinkie turned back to Rainbow Dash underneath her, "Parties. Are. Serious! And you have my certified Pinkie Party Promise" she literally stuck a cupcake in her eye, "that you will have the best birthday party ever!""

Rainbow cringed, "Okay."

"Great!" and Pinkie returned back to her old self once more, "Now, who's ready to join this super duper party pony to plan this super duper part-y?"

"I am."

Everypony gasped once they spotted a strange and mysterious orange colored stallion, leaning against the wall of a house. His body was covered in a grey-colored poncho and wore a grey-colored hat over his face, and a party horn in his mouth. The humans looked at him skeptically, who was this pony? And why was everybody else to shocked to see him?"

Meelo stood up tall, addressing to the new character. "Who are you, stranger?"

The pony spit out the party horn before speaking. His mane and tail were chocolate brown and curly, almost as curly as Pinkie's and as he walked away from the house, it was revealed he was carrying a rubber chicken on his back. His voice was deep and serious.

"Name's Cheese Sandwich. I plan parties."

"What an amazing coincidence! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I'm planning a party!"

Ikki stepped froward, smiling widely, "She's the best there is!"

"Oh, it's no coincidence, my little pony." said the stallion.

"Ohh! He said it!" Bolin exclaimed excitedly, reining confused looks from the rest, "What?"

"My cheesy sense was a-tingling, telling me a party was in the works."

"A cheesy sense?" Pinkie asked, already becoming fascinated with this new pony, "Ah! Double amazing! I have a Pinkie Sense!"

"Yes. I sensed you did." the stallion said in a serious tone, his hat was tilted up a bit, showing his green eyes, "And I happen to be the premiere party planner in all of Equestria. If there's a party in need, there I'll be. Be it wingding, hoedown, hootenanny, or shindig, I'm your pony."

Bolin looked at him with wide eyes, "Wow….I'm bored!"

Pinkie Pie hoped along towards him, excited to meet another party planning pony, "A pair of party pony planners in Ponyville?! What can be more perfect?!"

"I'll tell you what" said Rainbow Dash, "-- making this party epic! 'Cause this isn't just any birthday. It's also the anniversary of when I moved to Ponyville!"

"Wait, you moved here on your birthday?" Mako asked curiously, "Really?"

"You know it, city boy!"

"Good heavens, Rainbow Dash." Rarity said with a smile, "It's your "birth-iversary"!"

"Exactly! So what do you say, party planners?" she said to the two ponies, "Think you're up for the challenge."

Korra crossed her arms, smiling proudly, "If anypony can throw an epic party, it's Pinkie Pie."

"Oh, I think we can do it!" Pinkie said while hopping, but Cheese Sandwich shook his head.

"Oh, I don't think so."

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gasped until...

"I know so!" suddenly, Cheese Sandwich's voice no longer sounded low and serious, but hyper and energetic. He removed his poncho and hat, revealing his really curly brown mane and wore a yellow shirt, revealing a cutie mar depicting a cheese sandwich styled into the form of an accordion. The hat and poncho landed on Meelo, who quite liked his new look.

"I did not see that coming." Asami said, amazed to see the sudden shift in the pony's character.

Cheese Sandwich;

"After all…"

The super-duper party pony–that pony is me

I always knew that was the kind of pony I would be

Pinkie Pie;

"Me too!"

Mako quickly covered his ears, "Oh, boy!"

Cheese Sandwich;

Come on, ponies! Who here likes to party?" he hugged an elderly pony, "Ha-ha! You do! I can tell!"

When I was but a little colt, I just wanted to play

Pinkie Pie;

"Like me!"

Cheese Sandwich;

But everypony told me, "Cheese, that fun just wastes the day"

Pinkie Pie;

"As if!"

Cheese Sandwich;

But when I threw a party and I busted out some moves

Pinkie Pie;

"Uh-huh!"

Cheese Sandwich;

The ponies finally saw the light and got into the groove

Pinkie Pie;

"You know it!"

Korra whispered to Mako, "I think those two are gonna get along."

"No, really?" Mako asked sarcastically.

Cheese then started to play an accordion, dressed as a mountain german.

Cheese Sandwich;

The super-duper party pony–that pony is me

Pinkie Pie;

"And me!"

Cheese Sandwich;

You'll never meet another party pony quite like Cheese!

Pinkie Pie;

"Uh, Pinkie?"

Cheese Sandwich;

"Hey, good-lookin', want some mayonnaise?"

My parties are all off the hook

I never plan them by the book

I start out fun, then whoopsie-daisy

Everybody just gets crazy!

Bored of snacks made by your mom?

How about a giant party bomb?

Huge piñatas filled with cake

Or dive into my fruit punch lake!

The super-duper party pony–that pony is me

You'll never meet another party pony quite like Cheese

As he sang along, playing his accordion (his words matching his antics at that moment), every pony in town was smiling broadly. This stallion certainly lived up to his name and loved doing his job. Even the airbender kids danced along to the silliness, enchanted by the comedy and joy this pony brought. However, Korra was soon realizing how out of the loop Pinkie was feeling. It was then that her joy and enthusiasm began to die down a bit.

Cheese Sandwich;

Oh, when I throw a Cheese party, be sure to not be lame

And miss my pie fights, wacky kites, and streamers in your mane

Fizzy drinks, Hawaiian shirts, and brie fondue delight

You know that with Cheese Sandwich, you'll be partying all night!

Rainbow Dash;

"C'mon, everypony! Let's party down with Cheese!"

A mini stamped trampled over Pinkie, completely ignoring her. Even Bolin, Asami Ikki, Meelo and Jinora joined in, but Korra and Mako were left behind, looking down at a concerned Pinkie Pie.

Jinora;

"You're really a certified party pony?"

Cheese Sandwich;

"That's right! That's my guarantee!"

The super-duper party pony–that pony is me-e-e-e-e

The new stallion was carried away by the other ponies, leaving behind a very depressed and lonely Pinkie.

Pinkie Pie;

But what about the super party pony named Pinkie...?

She sat on the ground, feeling depressed, when her dear Avatar kneeled down and stroked her curly pink mane. Even Mako sat down to comfort her. They were the only ones who remained with her.

(~)

Rainbow Dash flipped through the air in excitement, "Yeah! Hah, now that's what I'm talking about! I'm so stoked you're here, Cheese Sandwich!"

"Yeah. You sure did come on the right day." said Applejack.

"Your party sounds simply divine." said Rarity.

Ikki skipped along as the ponies continue to carry Cheese Sandwich, "Is there going to be a large cake, a lots, and lots of candy, and party games and confetti everywhere and balloons?"

"You know it, little one!" he winked.

"Wow! We're so lucky to have you here." said Bolin.

"I'll say!" Twilight agreed.

"Just doing my job, little fillies." he said happily.

Pinkie Pie managed to catch up with the rest, with Korra and Mako alongside her, while Rainbow flew beside Cheese, "I mean, Pinkie Pie's parties are fun and sweet and all, but now this party's gonna be--"

"Epic?"

"You said it! Oh, yeah!" she and Cheese high hoofed while Pinkie Pie watched sadly from afar. Korra narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat, loud enough for Rainbow to hear her.

"Ahem!"

Rainbow heard and realized that Pinkie was right behind them. "Uh, heh, no offense, Pinkie."

Pinkie Pie didn't want anybody to know just how hurt she felt, so she wiped away her tears with her tongue, "Uh, n-none taken." she squeed.

Korra couldn't bare to see her friend so depressed and so she took it upon herself to make sure that she would manage to plan Rainbow's party. But once the crowd grew farther away, Pinkie Pie walked off in the other direction, hanging her head sadly.

"Pinkie!" she ignored Korra's cries and walked away. Korra narrowed her eyes, "I don't know who this Cheese guy is, but--"

"Didn't he just sing a whole musical number, describing exactly who he is?" Mako stated.

Korra face palmed herself, "You know what I mean!"

"What's the big deal? He's just planing Rainbow's party."

"Did you not see how heartbroken Pinkie was?! Party planning his her job and I am not letting some flamboyant pony in a poncho take that from her!"

Mako tried to get her to listen to reason, but once Korra sets her mind on something, there was only so much one could do to change her opinion. "Korra, I understand your frustration. You care about Pinkie Pie, but maybe you're both looking at this the wrong way."

Korra groaned in annoyance, "You know what, forget it." she walked away in a huff, leaving Mako behind.

"Korra!"

(~)

Meanwhile, Cheese Sandwich was already working on Rainbow's party. With the assistance from the other ponies, they made a stage with a flashy banner with Rainbow's face, hangers with rainbow lightning bolts of avery color and balloons in the form of her cutie mark/

"My birth-iversary's already looking way cooler!" Rainbow said excitedly while Cheese supervised everything while looking at his clipboard, "You are my kind of party pony, Cheese Sandwich."

Cheese chuckled as the two but heads playfully, "You got that right, Rainbow Dash." he then turned to the other ponies, working hard on constructing the event, "All right, party ponies, I've got some planning to do!"

Everyone cheered, even the airbender kids, Bolin and Asami. Mako approached them, looking depressed. Bolin approached him, smiling broadly. "Hey, Mako! Where've ya been, you're missing out! Cheese is totally amazing, he's got this big punch bowl the size of a pool, a jumping castle, Rainbow-sized balloons!'

Mako blinked, "Wow. As if Rainbow didn't already have enough boosting her ego."

"Oh, don't be such a party popper! Hey, where are Pinkie and Korra? Aren't they gonna help out."

"That's actually what I needed to tell you. Pinkie's kinda feeling threatened and Korra's not to happy about it."

"Threatened by what? By Cheese? No way, he's awesome! He's loads of fun, and charismatic, and creative, and everypony already loves him and almost completely forgot about Pinkie Pie's original efforts to make this party specia--okay, I'm seeing your point." he shoulders dropped, as his his enthusiasm.

(~)

Korra finally caught up with Pinkie Pie, who was sitting down sadly at the drone of Sugar Cube Corner. The banner she had made for Rainbow fell down, making her feel even more upset.

"Pinkie! There you are."

"Oh, hey Korra." she said sadly as the Avatar sat beside her.

"Hey, I'm really sorry things didn't turn out the way you hoped."

"I guess Cheese is just a better party pony than me."

"Don't say that, you know it's not true."

"Pinkie!" another familiar voice was heard. Pinkie couldn't let anybody else know who depressed she was feeling, so she immediately took a watering can and watered the plants. Well, she missed the plants and was only watering the ground, while wearing a fake smile.

Twilight walked up to the two, while levitating two flags styled to look like Rainbow's cutie mark, "There you are. Hey, Korra."

"Hey, Twilight."

"Aren't you gonna help Cheese Sandwich plan the party?" she asked the pink pony.

"That's okay." she said, trying her best to sound as happy about the whole thing than she actually did. "He obviously has what it takes to do it all by himself. Heh." she smiled, letting all of the water from the can fall on practically anything except the plants themselves.

"Really?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, indeedy!" Pinkie chuckled nervously.

"Well, Korra you wanna come and help?" she then realized that Korra wasn't looking to happy. She looked more concerned actually. "Is something wrong?"

Korra opened her mouth to explain, but was silenced when Pinkie placed her hoof over her mouth. "No, no! Nothing!" she smiled widely, and Twilight arched an eyebrow before leaving the two behind.

Korra removed Pinkie's hoof from her mouth, "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry."

"Pinkie, you shouldn't let Cheese get you down like this."

"No, it's fine." she said unconvincingly, "After all, if Cheese really is the super duperiest partying-est pony of them all, maybe that means... I'm... not."

"No! You're the best there is!"

"That's what I thought." Pinkie Pie placed the watering can down and walked away in depression.

"Pinkie, wait!"

"I just want to be alone right now."

Korra hesitated, she hated seeing her friend suffer like this. But, she respected her wishes. She didn't know what else to say except for…

"Never forget!" Pinkie stopped and turned to look at her. "Never forget who you really are, Pinkie Pie."

"Thanks…"

With that, Korra turned away, sadly leaving her friend to think. She didn't know what else to do, but something was telling her that maybe the pony really did need some time to think things over. She just hoped she said the right thing.

She said what was in her heart.

(~)

Pinkie walked along, sighing sadly as more ponies walked pass her. Her heart sank at the thought that she may never make ponies happy again. She always thought there was no other pony who could make others smile but herself. Clearly she had been wrong. Korra's words still rang in her head. To never forget who she truly was. But who was she now? If she couldn't be the best at what she did, then maybe there was no point to it after all. She looked down into the water, letting a single tear fall, creating a colorful ripple.

Pinkie Pie;

For all my life, all I've wanted to do

Was make my friends want to smile true

But maybe I was wrong

And Pinkie Pie shouldn't plan parties at all

She figured if she couldn't be a party pony anymore, she figured she could try other works.

First she tried being a surgeon, but there was no room for cupcakes during an operation. She then tried being a mail pony, but not everypony liked getting shot in the face with confetti when getting their mail. She even tried being a construction worker, but building with balloons wasn't gonna cut it. Plus, it was a safety hazard.

I'll try to get up on my hooves

And try a different task

I'll find something new to do

There's gotta be more to me than planning a party or two

At home, she started getting rid of all the fun party things she owned.

I put away my party cannon, I deflated all my balloons

The bubbles all burst, now what is next for you?

For you...

She looked at her wall, noticing all of the pictures, each one depicting a specific moment in time where she made ponies smile. Seeing all of the images suddenly ignited something within her very soul.

"Oh, I remember this one: my first party ever. My whole family was there."

"And that's Twilight's welcome-to-Ponyville party. She didn't even expect that one."

"Oh, look at Gummy! He just looks so excited for this birthday party!"

"Hmm. Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding sure was special, especially once I got a hold of the music."

"Oh, hey! There's the picnic we all shared at Air Temple Island with Korra!"

"And there's the party we all had after she got her bending back!"

The pony's spirits slowly grew once more, realizing her previous foolishness.

Oh, look at those happy faces

All the parties that I had thrown

I made them laugh, had such a blast

A smile that's all their own

They loved seeing me, the real Pinkie

She opened the doors, heading to the balcony.

Show them the time of their life like they've never known

Like they've never kno-o-own

That was it! She needed to show everyone who she truly was. She was no quitter, she was a party pony, and that is exactly what she was going to do.

I've got to get back out there, have to show them that I've tried

For there's only one great party pony -- that is Pinkie Pie

Won't let Cheese Sandwich beat me, won't let him get me down

For I am Pinkie, the bestest party pony around!

(~)

Korra hatted to confess but….Cheese Sandwich really was a good party planner. Everything he did was truly amazing and depicted Rainbow Dash perfectly. Her pride wouldn't allow her to admit this for she still wished Pinkie would have been here. Although, she did think Cheese's party was more elaborate than Pinkie's could have been. Still, the celebration would be even better if she had incorporated her ideas into it as well.

"I must say I marvel at Cheese Sandwich's superior party planning expertise." said Rarity to Applejack.

"Well, they don't call him the super duper party planner for nothin'."

From afar, Pinkie Pie listened in on their conversation and was now more determined than ever to prove once and for all who the superior party pony really was.

"That's it! This pony has gotta get her title back! And I know just what to do!"

Korra leaned against a tree, the levees shadowing her face, when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Hey, Avatar Korra!"

Korra jerked up when she spotted the stallion walk up to her. "What do you think? Pretty epic hu?"

Korra couldn't bare to say the truth, so instead she shrugged, "It's okay…I guess."

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Pinkie Pie is, would you?"

"Why do you want to know?" Korra asked.

"Well, she seemed to excited to help with the party and I was hoping to hear her ideas."

This revelation caught Korra completely by surprise, "You…you did?"

"Yeah! I may be a good party pony but even a good one is always open to new ideas!" his ears then lowered in sadness, "Too bad, I was really looking forward to see what she had in mind."

"Wait, wait, wait, you mean you didn't do all of this just to upstage Pinkie?"

"What? No, of course not! I hardly meet many other party ponies, and I thought she'd be impressed with my ideas too. I didn't mean to make her feel left out."

Korra now realized how silly she had been acting. She was so quick to side with Pinkie she didn't think about Cheese's side. Mako was right.

"I'm really sorry for accusing you like that. I just hatted seeing Pinkie so down."

"Well, why don't you bring her over? I can't wait to hear what she says about---"

"Freeze, Cheese!"

Korra and Cheese Sandwich heard a voice of an angry Pinkie Pie. Asami and Bolin separated, surprised to see an angry Pinkie Pie standing behind them her eyes narrowed at the stallion.

"I challenge you... to a goof off!"

All of the Mane Six, and Spike, gasped in horror.

"Oh, no! Not a goof off!" Fluttershy cried out while hiding underneath Applejack.

"What's a goof off?" the country pony asked.

"I have no idea, hehe."

Pinkie Pie marched on over to the stallion, "That's right, a Goof Off! You and me. Mano a mano!"

Korra quickly came between the two, "Pinkie, listen there's been a big misunderstanding. If you just let me explain--"

"No need, Korra! You were right. I needed to remember who I really am!"

"Yeah, but this wasn't what I had in mind." she said under her breath.

As much as Cheese wanted to impress Pinkie, maybe this was the language she wanted to speak. He placed a fez on his head and spoke in his serious tone once again.

"This Cheese has stood alone a long time, Pinkie Pie. You think you can out-goof me?"

"Oh, I don't think so. I know so! And the stakes are high, Cheese Sandwich. Whoever wins will be dubbed the ultimate super duper party pony and headline the Rainbow Dash birth-iversary bash!"

"And the loser?" Twilight asked.

"Doesn't!"

Rainbow and the other gasped, while Mako remained indifferent and Korra was still too stunned. She knew Pinkie could have a backbone, but this was insane. This was not the Pinkie she knew and loved.

"Or, maybe we can forget this whole thing, have some ice cream, talk it over and work on the party together." she suggested hopefully.

"No way Korra!" Pinkie stated, "There can only be one party pony, and that pony is Pinkie Pie! So, are you in, Cheese? Or are you... boneless?"

Cheese Sandwich narrowed his eyes, "Nopony calls me boneless. Right, Boneless?" he said to his rubber chicken.

Asami whispered to Bolin, "He does know it doesn't talk, right?"

"Then the goof off is on for high noon!

Jinora called out, "Um, Pinkie? It's already 3 o'clock."

"Oh. Oh, well then. Make it 3:10 to goof off!" she and Cheese started down while Korra only groaned in embarrassment and the two dispersed.

"Cheese, what are you doing? I thought you wanted Pinkie to like you, not challenge you to a goof off, whatever that is!"

"Don't worry, Miss Avatar, I've got a plan!"

"Care to elaborate?"

"If a goof off is what she wants, then a goof off is what she'll get."

"Still not following."

"Once she sees how much fun we're having, maybe she'll realize we're both supper fun party ponies!"

"You sure that'll work? In case you haven't noticed, subtly is not Pinkie's strong suit."

"Trust me, Korra! This the language we party ponies speak."

Korra sighed, "Okay. If you say so."

(~)

The clock stroked 3:10, and everybody was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the two ponies.

"Why are we making a big deal about this again?" Mako asked.

"I'm asking myself the same thing." said Korra, crossing her arms and silently praying Cheese's idea helps in any way.

"I thought you didn't like Cheese." said the firebender.

"I didn't, at first. I thought he was just a show off but now, I realized I was…wrong."

She said the last part so low he didn't hear her, "I'm sorry, what was that?" he placed a hand near his ear.

"I was wrong." she repeated, still in a low voice.

"Didn't quite catch that."

"I was wrong, okay! I was wrong about Cheese Sandwich, he's really not all that bad. I was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong! You happy now?!"

Mako could only cross his arms and smile, "Pretty much." he then got his just rewards when Korra punched him in the arm. "Ow!"

Then, the two ponies finally arrived, walking in from opposite directions. Pinkie wore small cowgirl boots and a comically big hat with a arrow sticking through it. Cheese wore fuzzy elephant slippers, one pink and one green, on his front hooves with two socks, one blue and one bright green, on his back hooves. He wore a fuzzy winter hat with a fish on it. Once they were facing one another, Twilight stood between them and took out a book.

"All right, everypony. According to my official goof off rulebook…"

"She actually has a goof off rulebook?" Jinora asked in surprise.

"Are you kidding?" Spike said, "Twilight can find a rulebook for everything!"

Twilight continued to read, "The two competitors have free range to goof about -- be it by singing, dancing, playing, prancing, joking, or performing -- to make the judge chortle, chuckle, giggle, guffaw, hoot and holler, whoop it up, and party down."

As she spoke, Pinkie and Cheese made funny faces at one another, trying to be funnier than the other. Cheese then opened his mouth, to reveal a white mouse playing a tuba.

"The funnier, sillier, wilder, and goofier, the better. Rainbow Dash, since the winner will be headlining your party, you are the judge."

However, the young pegasus didn't seem all too excited about this and chuckled nervously. "Heh. Big tense competition on my birth-iversary. What could be better?" she forced a smile. She wanted her day to be fun, not complex and full of animosity.

Twilight addressed to the two ponies, "Cheese Sandwich, Pinkie Pie, are you ready?"

"I was born ready!" Pinkie stomped her hoof.

Cheese narrowed his eyes, "I was ready before I was born!"

"That makes no sense!" Mako exclaimed, placing his hands near his mouth to amplify his voice. He then revived numerous looks from everyone. "What?"

"Ooookay." Twilight arched an eyebrow, "Then… Let the goofing begin!" she spread her wings and flew away, allowing the ponies to start the goof off.

Cheese walked closer towards Pinkie, who was hopping closer to him. Bolin was bitting his nails while Korra bit her bottom lip. This Pinkie Pie wasn't the one she knew. This whole thing felt wrong, she wish she had said something before. Seeing her uneasiness, Mako placed a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her to calm down. Maybe everything would work out for the better, if only she was certain of it. Not knowing the future tended to be agonizing at times.

And so, it began. Cheese played his accordion while Pinkie, wearing a fake mustache and funny propeller hat, started singing to Rainbow Dash, who was, quite literally, in the middle of things. She danced on a beach ball while juggling cupcakes.

Pinkie Pie;

It's your birthday party, a very special day

I've got a song, it won't take long, I just wanted to say

She began tossing the cupcakes into Rainbow s mouth, who chewed happily.

Happy, happy, happy, happy

Happy, happy, happy, happy birthday to you!

Cheese Sandwich danced on a large rolling cheddar cheese while playing the accordion. Pinkie narrowed her eyes and Rainbow was impressed. Cheese jumped from the large cheese and sang to the birthday girl

Cheese Sandwich;

If you wanna be the life of the party

But you're feeling just a little uptight

Call the doctor, beg and plead

"Doctor, tell me what I need"

Try to put a little cheese in your knees!

He danced with two cheese shoes on his hooves. Rainbow Dash was laughing at the silliness, until a comically large hook came down and took her up. Pinkie Pie was flying on a hot air ballon (pulled by actual party balloons) and had pulled Rainbow up with a fishing poll. Rainbow flapped her wings as Pinkie sang and danced and bubbles came out from a machine in the basket.

Pinkie Pie;

Bubbles and balloons, bubbles and balloons

What's a birthday party without bubbles and balloons?

She formed balloons in various shapes and forms.

Star-shaped or trapezoid, look what I can do

Only Pinkie Pie can make a bubble shaped like you!

She blew on the bubbles, creating a pegasus shaped bubble, much to Rainbow's amazement. She was then pulled off by Cheese, who was now at the top of city hall. He wiggled his body and encouraged Rainbow to join in.

Cheese Sandwich;

Just let yourself go floppy, for now this is your chance

Pretend you have no bones and do the rubber chicken dance!

"Hit it, Boneless!"

Pinkie jumped from a trampoline and Rainbow landed down towards her, smiling.

Pinkie Pie;

Cooler than a rubber chicken and tastier than cake

Come on, you, let's party down and do the Gummy shake!

"Hit it, Gummy! Uh-huh! You know it! Shake it!"

But Cheese was not done yet. He placed a cheese hat on Rainbow's head and placed her on a cheese themed float. She sat on the throne smiling while Cheese sang.

Cheese Sandwich;

'Cause I like to make you smile, smile, smile

Yes I do

It fills my heart with sunshine all the while

Yes it does

'Cause all I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine

Pinkie Pie;

"That's my song!"

Cheese Sandwich;

"What do you mean? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Pinkie Pie;

"THAT'S IT!"

Pinkie pulled out her party cannon. Korra knew where this was going. "Oh, no!"

Pinkie Pie;

Roll out the party cannon

When you hear the party cannon song

Ka-BOOM!

But Cheese not only had something to top the party cannon. He had a party howitzer!

At this point, Rainbow was no longer having fun so much as concern.

Cheese Sandwich;

Why should you compromise? Try this one on for size

'Cause nothing quite says cheer like the ringing in your ear

Of the cheese supreme cannonball surprise!

He shot the howitzer, sending Rainbow flying back. Once she got back to her hooves, her eyes widened as a forklift carried the largest piñata Rainbow has ever seen. While Pinkie sand around it. In spanish.

Pinkie Pie;

¡Dale, dale, dale

No pierdas el tino!

Porque si lo pierdes

¡Pierdes el camino!

The piñata proved to be far too large and it eventually gave way, landing right on top of Rainbow Dash, shooting confetti and streamers everywhere. The music stopped and so did Pinkie Pie. Team Avatar was shocked by what had happened. This wasn't a goof off anymore, this was an all out war. And it had gone too far.

Korra rushed over quickly as Rainbow wiggled her way out from underneath the paper decoration. Korra helped her but in the process, Rainbow gained a paper cut on her hoof.

"Ow!"

Korra took her hoof into her hands and Pinkie noticed the single drop of blood drip from her friend's hoof and land onto the grass. It was then, she remembered Korra's words from before.

Never forget who you really are, Pinkie Pie.

The pony's eyes began to shimmer with rainbow colors as the realization finally struck her and she gasped. "Rainbow's not having the best party ever! I... I broke the Pinkie Party Promise!"

She couldn't let this continue. She couldn't.

"Stop! The goof off is off!"

The ponies all murmured in confusion at Pinkie's sudden choice.

"But I haven't named a winner." said Rainbow Dash while Korra cleaned her cut.

"You don't have to." said Pinkie Pie, hanging her head in sadness, "I forfeit. Which means... Cheese Sandwich wins."

For a moment, Cheese was stunned. "…I do?"

"He does?!" Mako, Asami and Bolin asked in unison.

Meelo was eating popcorn this entire time, "I still have no idea what's going on." he said, while still chewing.

"Yes. You get to headline Rainbow Dash's party." Pinkie said to Cheese.

"But, Pinkie, what about you?" Korra asked.

"I… I don't." her bright blue eyes began to tear up as her heart broke into pieces. "I'm sorry Rainbow. I'm sorry everypony."

Before anyone could say anything, she galloped away from the scene.

(~)

She had packed everything and was now ready to leave. Since nopony else wanted her around, and after what she did to her best friend, she didn't deserve to be around anyone anymore.

"Pinkie, wait!"

She stopped when Rainbow Dash called out to her and hovered in front of her. "I'm sorry I got all swept away by Cheese Sandwich."

"We all are." said Twilight, and the rest of the Mane Six, even the airbenders, Asami and Bolin agreed with this, looking apologetically at the pony.

"We didn't mean to hurt your feelings." said Ikki.

Mako crossed his arms, "Well, not all of us were swept up. Korra wasn't."

Korra's eyes winded, "Wait, what?"

"Out of all of us, you understood what Pinkie was going through and tried to help."

"Guess we should have taken your example." said Applejack.

"But, even I was wrong about Cheese." Korra confessed, "I only disliked him because Pinkie did. I judged him a bit too quickly and I realize now that was wrong." she said in regret.

"None of this was your fault." said Pinkie, "I was the one who let my pride get in the way of Rainbow having the best birth-iversary ever. Cheese Sandwich really is a super duper party planner, and he'll be a terrific headliner. I should've been a big enough pony to admit that and let you have your day." she said to her friend.

"But don't you get it?" Rainbow said with a smile, "You're both super duper party ponies. Sure, Cheese Sandwich is a great guest party pony, but you're Ponyville's permanent party pony." Pinkie smiled when Rainbow hugged her with all the love in her heart, "Nopony could ever take your place, and we could never have a party without you."

"Rainbow's right." Korra said, "Cheese never wanted to upstage you like we thought he did. He was really only trying to impress you."

Pinkie's eyes widened, "Me?"

"It's true."

All eyes turned to Cheese, who walked on over, placing his cowboy hat over his heart. "I never meant to take your place in Ponyville. I just wanted to show you what a great party pony I am, Pinkie."

"But why?" Pinkie asked.

Cheese Sandwich;

"Well…"

I fear I told a little fib about my pony past

I hope that when you hear the truth, you will not be aghast

I wasn't quite the super party pony like I claim

The fact is that I was so shy, nopony knew my name

As he sang, Bolin began to tear up.

Cheese Sandwich;

I stumbled into Ponyville one afternoon by chance

And found the biggest ever celebration party dance

Everything was perfect, cheer was filling up the place

And I saw that everypony had a smile upon their face

I vowed that day to change my life, the past I did set free

For now Cheese Sandwich was a party pony full of glee

A super duper party pony -- that's what I became

I traveled all Equestria, and all did know my name

But that never would have happened on my own, I'll tell you why...

For the one who threw that party, it was you,

Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie;

"Me?"

Cheese Sandwich;

"Yes!"

Pinkie Pie;

"Hah, really?!"

Team Avatar;

"Really?!"

Cheese Sandwich;

"Really!"

Pinkie Pie began hopping around happily, "So I was the pony that threw the awesomely spectacular party that inspired you to become an awesome spectacular party thrower?"

"Swear on Camembert!"

"I did not see that coming!" said Meelo…while still eating popcorn.

Rainbow Dash;

"Enough with the warm fuzzy stuff, you two. It's my birth-iversary, and you gotta throw me a bash!"

Pinkie Pie;

"Yeah!"

Cheese Sandwich;

"Let's go!"

And so, the two ponies decided to work together to give Rainbow Dash the best party she ever had!

Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich;

Super duper party ponies -- that is me and you

A party thrown by one is good, but not as great as two

Come on and let's join forces, have twice the expertise

Now let's all go to the party planned by Pinkie Pie and Cheese!

(~)

As the sun came down, all of Ponyville was abuzz with joy and laughter! Both Pinkie and Cheese did a wondrous job at incorporating their ideas together. There were balloons, confetti, all kinds of sweets, games, a large punch bowl, everything anybody could ask for.

Bolin played with the airbender kids while Asami danced with the Mane Six. Korra smiled proudly at the scene when Mako walked up to her and she looked at him in apology.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked.

"For yelling at you before. You were right, I was being too hard on Cheese Sandwich. You'd think I'd learn not to judge a book by its cover." she turned her gaze towards the Sato heiress, who laughed as the ponies danced.

Mako smiled, "It's okay. I understand why you were upset. You were only being concerned for your friend. It's one of the may things I love about you."

Korra blushed, "Awww."

The spotlight shined onto the stage and Cheese Sandwich walked out, wearing a hat and bow tie.

"ll right, everypony! We are here to celebrate the birthday…"

"…and anniversary…" Pinkie added, also wearing a hat and bow-tie.

"…of Rainbow Dash!"

They shouted in unison and Rainbow emerged from a birthday gift, wearing a party hat, and hoarding above the crowd.

"Hey, everypony! Who's ready to get their party on?! Hit it!"

The music played and everybody got into the groove while Pinkie Pie danced and sang.

Pinkie Pie;

Get your hooves up, party's starting out right now

Everypony, everypony get down

Time to make a wish, better make it right now

It's been a year and today is your birthday party

Rainbow Dash could not have asked for a better party. She blew out the candles on her large birthday cake, slammed her cutie mark shaped piñata, ate a delicious pizza with her friends and even swam in the large punch bowl pool.

Pinkie sang the song as Applejack, Rarity and Twilight danced on stage, along with Jinora and Ikki.

Make a wish, it's your birthday

Make a wish, it's your birthday party

Make a wish, it's your birthday

Make a wish, it's your birthday party

The party was the biggest hit the town had ever seen. So filled with joy and laughter. The four teens danced with their pony friends and Pinkie Pie could not have been happier to see her friends happy.

Cheese leaned against a tree, eating a cupcake, when Rainbow appeared before him. "Cheese Sandwich! Oh, I gotta tell ya, you and Pinkie have totally made this the best birthday/anniversary super combo ever! Hah, it's totally--"

"Epic?"

"Yeah, it is!"

"That's all I needed to hear, little filly." his voice slowly became low again once he placed his cowboy hat on once more.

(~)

Pinkie Pie held the pencil in her mouth as she wrote down what she had learned today. Once she was done, she smiled at her Avatar friend, who was sitting next to her.

"Korra, I want to say that you were right. I shouldn't have forgotten who I really was. Thanks for still believing in me, and for knowing when I was acting crazy. Well, crazier than normal."

Korra chuckled and hugged her pony friend, "Anytime, Pinkie."

The two were surprised when Cheese Sandwich placed a long wooden box in front of them.

"Just a little memento of my visit." he said.

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened in awe, "You're giving me your special rubber chicken friend?" she asked, even the rubber toy gave out a rainbow-like glow.

"Oh, he's not the only one." Cheese placed another rubber chicken onto his back, with a red number two painted on its chest. The stallion now wore his poncho and cowboy hat once more. His time was done here. "Well, Boneless Two, another job well done. But it's time we mosey along. Another town, another party."

"Wait!" Pinkie cried out, "Will….you be back."

The stallion smiled, "You can count on it." he winked, making the pony blush. The rest of the group watched on as Cheese Sandwich, one of the best party ponies around, walked off into the sunset. Her certainly left his mark on everyone in Ponyville. Especially on a young spirited pink filly.

"I never did get that pony's name."

"Cheese Sandwich!" everybody exclaimed.

Pinkie Pie giggled, "Oh, yeah!"

(~)

"And so, Pinkie realized that a true party pony knows when to make other happy. But also, when to share that same gift as well.

I'll see you again for another story from

Tales of Equestria!"

Chapter 11– Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

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"So, many of you might already know that Mako eventually became a cop, right? Well, he has been studying up on his final police exam for weeks now.

But, there was also another pony was getting ready for her own test as well.

At least….that was what she was suppose to be doing.

Want to know the tale?

Well sit back and let old uncle Discord tell you

(~)

Testing Testing 1, 2, 3

Twilight's purple eyes scanned the papers, while Korra held the book next to her. She looked back and forth from the pages to the book, silently. An anxious firebender sat in a lotus position on the grass, while fiddling with his fingers nervously. Finally, Twilight looked up at him and sighed.

"I can't believe it's come to this." She placed the papers down and Korra cringed at what she was about to do. The firebender watched in anticipation as the alicorn inhaled a large amount of hair before saying……

"Mako's the smartest, most handsome and most amazing firebender cop this side of the universe and I am humble to even be in his presence!" Twilight said the words so fast she was literally out of breath.

Mako jumped up from the grass and pounded his fists into the air, "Yes! Aced it!"

Korra simply chuckled while face palming herself and shaking her head. "I don't know what's more incredible. That you got every single question right, or that you bet Twilight to say all of that if you did."

"Hey, serves her right not thinking I could do it."

"I never said you couldn't!" Twilight protested, "I said you were bound to get at least one or two wrong. Since, you kind of did before."

"But I didn't this time, did I?" he said with a smirk, making Twilight sigh in annoyance.

"No. You got a perfect score. I must say, I'm impressed."

"Well, I did have a great tutor. I couldn't have done it without you Twilight."

"Awww, that's sweet….but don't ever make me do that again!"

"Ah come on! Let me have a little fun once in a while!" Mako was then surprised when Korra hugged him.

"You're gonna ace that final! Just think, by this time next week, you'll be wearing your new, official, Republic City Police uniform."

"I know! Wow, I still can't believe it."

Twilight smiled proudly as well, "All of your hard work is about to pay off."

"Speaking of tests, isn't Rainbow studying for her history of the Wonderbolts exam for next week?" Mako asked.

"Actually yeah." Korra responded, "Where is that speedy little filly?"

To answer her question, a blur of blue and rainbow colors came speeding on by, causing the two teens to fall backwards into the ground, and blasting all of the papers into the wind.

"There's your speedy little filly." Mako said with an annoyed expression, which matched Korra's.

Twilight used her magic to gather up the papers while the teens got back on their feet. The alicorn grunted in frustration, "How in Equestria does that pony expect to pass her history of the Wonderbolts exam tomorrow if she's wasting time flying?!"

"Maybe she's just taking a break." Korra suggested.

"She's been doing this for the past five days!"

"Oooooookay. That could be an issue."

Twilight then smirked and flapped her wings, "Well, I'm just gonna fly right up to her and tell her what I think about her lackadaisical approach to studying!" she said as she flew up at her own speed towards Rainbow Dash, "Won't she be surprised!"

"Surprise!"

Twilight was startled when Rainbow Dash appeared right in front of her, "What? Huh? How did you—"

"Puh-lease, Twilight." Rainbow scoffed as she rested on a nearby cloud, for which Twilight struggled to stand on. Now that she was an alicorn, she could do that now. "That was the worst sneak attack ever."

"Wha? But—"

"I saw you giving me the stink-eye from the ground and heard you flying towards me and muttering from a mile away."

"Well, if you heard me "muttering", then you must know what I was "muttering" about."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, the Wonderbolts history test. No big deal." she leaned backwards and fell from the cloud, falling gently with her front legs behind her head. Twilight rolled her eyes and flew down after her as the two neared the ground beside the teens.

"No. Big deal. Really big deal. It's a test! A test that will determine if you can join the newly-formed Wonderbolts Reserves, and being part of the Wonderbolts Reserves means you'll have the opportunity to live your dream as a Wonderbolt! This is the most important test of your life!"

"She's got a point, Rainbow." said Korra, "I mean, I know you're not the most studious pony around, but preparing for a test is a pretty big deal. I had to work my butt off when it came to my other bending tests, I had to learn and memorize every practice forms if I was going to get it right."

"I had to stay up all night just to memorize every single law enforcement in the book." said Mako, "Being a cop is no joke."

However, the blue pegasus rolled her red eyes in disinterest, "Come on you guys, not everybody gets all freaked out when they don't get things perfect right away like you do."

The three gasped in shock, feeling insulted, "We don't get "all freaked out"!" they stated defensively.

"Uh, seriously? Twilight's freakouts are so epic, you sing whole freakout arias about freaking out. When Mako gets freaked out he goes all "Mama Mako" on everyone and Korra, you go blasting anything that can't scream back."

The three opened their mouths to speak, but quickly realized they didn't know what else to say. Korra and Mako tried to come up with a compact, but nothing good came out. Eventually, they gave up.

"I can't argue with that." said Korra.

"Me neither, she's got us pegged."

Twilight narrowed her eyes, "Fine, I may tend to take my tests a little seriously, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be studying for yours!" then, the alicorn's eyes winded in realization and smiled excitedly, "Oooh! And I know just the pony who can help you: me!"

"That's a great idea!" Mako said with a smile, "Nopony else is better for the job than Twilight!" then he realized something as well, "Oh! And I can help out!"

"Me too!" said Korra, "I can show you everything I know that helped me memorize everything I needed to know before my tests!" she then took Rainbow into her arms and hugged her tightly, "This is gonna be so much fun!"

But Rainbow was not amused, "Sure. Fun."

(~)

Rainbow snoozed while leaning against Twilight's small wooden podium inside the Golden Oak Library. She wore dark shades to hide the fact she was napping. She was only woken up when a large book landed in front of her. Her shades fell off and she looked down.

"Wha– huh?"

Twilight instructed as she showed her friend the book, "This is the most complete—"

"And ginormous!"

"—book on the history of the Wonderbolts."

"Okay, but how am I supposed to get what's in there into here?" she pointed at the book and then at her head.

"With my handy-dandy study checklist, of course!" twilight levitated the said list up to Rainbow's face. Th peony groaned.

"Of course."

"Korra, Mako and I have arranged a set of methods to help you pass your test!" she levitated the list firs to the firebender.

"First up, reading and highlighting."

Korra crossed her arms and pouted, "How come you get to go first?"

"Because I beat you in rock, paper, succors. Twice."

The Avatar grunted in annoyance, she hatted admitting defeat.

Mako clear his throat and walked from side to side while Rainbow, using a yellow highlighter pen in her mouth, was marking the words on the book as the firebender instructed. This was one of the techniques he had mastered while studying to become a cop at the academy.

"Reading and highlighting is the foundation of any good study method. It allows the student to hone in and boil down on what's really important, separating the good from the bad, the wheat from the chaff, getting to the crux of things."

While he talked, Korra mumbled what he said while Rainbow marked the words she believed were important. Mako gently took the book, "Let's see what you've got so far!" he opened the book and was nearly blinded by all of the yellow in every…single…word….on the pages. Korra and Twilight noticed this too and the Avatar couldn't help but snicker a little.

"Well, by highlighting everything, you don't really separate the wheat from the chaff…" she said.

Mako flipped through the pages, seeing more highlights and even a few drawings of Rainbow herself. "Or the good from the bad." he then found a pretty bad drawing of himself, stretching out through the entire page, "Hey, I am not that tall!"

Korra and the two ponies giggled until they received an angry glare from Mako and they silenced themselves. Twilight sighed, regaining her composure, "Okay, Rainbow, clearly reading and highlighting is not your style of studying, so let's move on to the tried and true: History lecture!"

Twilight stood in front of a blackboard with a symbol drawing of the Wonderbolts emblem. Korra and Mako sat on the floor, and Korra, suspiciously, was taking a few notes. It was all a part of her own plan. Rainbow Dash then raised up her hoof in question.

"Yes, Rainbow?"

"Is it snack time?" she asked, opening her lunch box.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, "No."

"Recess?" she appeared at the window with a soccer ball.

"No."

Rainbow sighed as she crawled towards her chair, "Can't we just watch the history of the Wonderbolts movie?!"

"No! Now, just get comfortable, and experience the magic of learning."

While Korra and Mako took the notes, Rainbow whispered to them, "Psht! Help. Me!" she whispered pleadingly. The two teens only pointed their fingers towards the black board, much to her dismay and Twilight began her teaching with chalk drawings.

"Ahem. Prior to the great Celestia/Luna rift, there was no need for the Earth, Unicorn, Pegasi, or E.U.P., Guard."

Rainbow sighed and tumbled on her stool. Noticing the squeaky sound it made, Rainbow started tipping back and forth, making rhythmic squeaking sounds with the stool, rather than listen to the lecture.

" But after Luna's banishment, the Protective Pony Platoons were formed. On the anniversary of the first Celestial year of peace, a celebration was held."

But while the others were occupied with the lecture, Rainbow kept on making noises with her stool. Owlowiscious started hooting along to the sound and Spike started drumming with a smile.

"Headed by General Firefly, an elite team of aerial performers were chosen to help celebrate this auspicious occasion. The first performance was so full of energy, so highly charged, that magical lightning showered down on the crowd. Everypony was so filled with amazement and wonder that General Firefly dubbed them "the Wonderbolts"!"

Twilight dropped her chalk once she realized the commotion that was going on behind her. Even the teens found it a bit amusing. But once the dragon and the owl noticed the princess looking at them, the immediately stopped and zipped away.

"Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow immediately stopped her foolishness, and the teens snickered, earning a glare from the alicorn, making them stop.

"Can you repeat any of my lesson?"

Rainbow made her stool creak one last time and smiled. Twilight teleported the stool away from Rainbow and Korra stood up. "Okay, obviously Highlighting and History Lecture aren't flying here. So, how about we try my method next."

(~)

Rainbow stood opposite Korra on the fields. The two were about to have an Agni Kai.

"How exactly is this suppose to help me?" Rainbow asked.

"My firebending masters taught me that one of the best ways to learn is by doing. Keeping my body moving helped me focus and I was able to memorize an entire generation of Fire Nation history in one day. Since you're not one to stand still for long, I suspect the same applies to you too."

"Well, let's give it a shot!"

"Good. Twilight, you got what we need?"

The alicorn smiled, "Yep! Flashcards!"

Rainbow arched an eyebrow, "Oh, does that mean I'll learn in a flash?" she said as she speeded around.

"One can only hope. Alright. Get ready." the two got into their stances, "And….go!"

Korra hurled the first blow and Rainbow immediately dodged it in mid air. Korra unleashed another attack and Rainbow flew out of the way, hurling a blast at Korra who dodged it as well. Rainbow unleashed another attack and Korra deflected it by moving her hands in a circular motion.

While they fought, Twilight read the words from the cards, "Colonel Purple Dart, the leader of the Wonderbolts in the Fourth Celestial Era, was known for his– what?"

"Uh. Mustache?" Rainbow dodged another incoming attack from Korra.

"Wrong!" said the Avatar, "Next question!"

"After becoming the official flying squadron for Princess Celestia, she honored them with–"

Rainbow flipped in mid air. While yes her brain activity was at its best, but she had a hard time remembering the lessons from before. She knew she had read something about this Colonel guy, but couldn't place what it was.

"Um…uh, whoa!" she dodged another fire attack and hurled another at Korra, who did a backflip away from the impact.

"You gotta be quicker than that, Rainbow!" the Avatar instructed.

"Okay, but go easy on me here!"

"I am going easy on you." she stated, right before unleashing another fire blast, which Rainbow redirected and Twilight read the flash cards once more.

"The original Wonderbolts lightning bolt insignia was–" Twilight winced when Rainbow Dash was knocked down to the ground, already out of breath and exhausted.

She grunted as she stood up and Korra stopped the Agni Kai. "How is this going to help me remember anything?! I bet you don't even--" before she could continue, Korra began talking.

"Colonel Purple Dart, the leader of the Wonderbolts in the Fourth Celestial Era, was known for his impeccable timing, hight speed flight and ability to calculate the altitude of any pegasus while in mid flight. After becoming the official flying squadron for Princess Celestia, she honored them with their official Wonderbolts uniforms, which were originally grey at the time before changing to blue over the years, adding the lightning bolts. The original Wonderbolts lightning bolt insignia was only a fair of wings with a star to represent their dazzling performance. I was changed in the following two years to a lightning bolt to best represent their determination and speed of flight."

Rainbow, Twilight and Mako all dropped their jaws, their eyes the size of saucers.

"See? It does work. I'm sure something must have sunken in."

"Only one way to find out." said Twilight, "With a pop quiz!"

"Bring it!" Rainbow said determinedly and Twilight teleported them into the library.

"The initials E.U.P. stand for what?" Twilight asked.

"Ernie's undercooked pancakes." Rainbow answered.

"The original aerial team performed for…?" Mako asked.

"Celestia's cereal celebration."

"The Wonderbolts were given their name by this famous Pegasus. Who is she?" Korra asked, before muttering to herself, "Please don't say Colonel Waffle…"

"Hello? General Blazing Donut Glaze!" Rainbow scoffed, "So, did I ace it or what?"

Korra, Twilight and Mako all face/hoffed palmed themselves, "Or what." said Twilight, "You didn't get one answer correct."

"What? But– but how?"

"I don't know. I've never heard answers so wrong! And so breakfast-related!"

At that moment, Rainbow's stomach started to growl.

"If you had taken the official test today…"

Rainbow Dash gasped in realization, "My dreams of being in the Wonderbolts Reserve would have been totally crushed!" she covered her face in shame with both her hooves and her wings.

"You just now figured this out?" Mako stated, earning a punch on the arm from Korra.

Rainbow began flying around the room in a frenzy "What am I gonna do? I'm running out of time! I don't know any of this history! I'm gonna fail!" she ran out the door, panting, her heart racing and her anxieties growing with each breath, "I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna fail, I'm gonna fail! And it's all your fault!"

"Our fault?!" the three friends exclaimed in shock.

"We're the ones helping you!" Twilight stated.

"Maybe your famous study methods aren't all they're cracked up to be, eh, teachers?!"

Rainbow's response left the others with their jaws dropped. What she said was completely uncalled for. Mako and Twilight narrowed their eyes while Korra remained the only one concerned.

"Excuse me, I've used them to study for many a test and passed!" Twilight stated.

"Yeah, right." as Rainbow attempted to fly away, Twilight flew behind her.

"Do you know the name of the premiere Wonderbolts choreographer?"

"Uh, well—"

"Commander Easyglider."

"Do you know how many Pegasi flew in the original squad?" Mako asked an uncertain Rainbow.

"Um—"

"Seven!"

Do you know Princess Celestia's favorite flight pattern?!" Twilight asked, "The Icaranian Sun Salutation!"

"See? Even I could pass the test." said Mako, "And I'm not even a pegasus!"

Rainbow Dash lowered down, sitting on the ground, "Fine! Rub it in, why don't ya? Besides, I don't see why I have to take this lousy test anyway. I've proven I'm one of the best flyers around."

"Knowing their origin and being able to properly represent them for all of Equestria is just as important." said Twilight.

Unbeknownst to them, Fluttershy was standing a few feet away, overhearing the conversation. Alongside her was the young airbender Jinora.

"Yeah, right. Some history buff like you must have made that up to bring us flyers down."

"Knowing history actually is beneficial, Rainbow."

Rainbow blew a raspberry at Twilight's face, "Beneficial for eggheads!"

Fluttershy then spoke out, "Guys."

Korra came in between them, "Okay, that's enough! Rainbow, I get you're frustrated, but Twilight was only trying to help. We all are."

"Oh, and like your Agni Kai worked wonders?" Rainbow said back at the Avatar.

Mako then said, "It's not her fault you can't memorize a single sentence from a book."

"Hey, that's way too harsh Mako!" Korra exclaimed.

"Well, it's true! She's the one who's been waisting all of her time slacking off!"

Fluttershy then spoke out again, "Guys!"

"You wouldn't have to worry about this if you had studied beforehand."

Korra then stood before him, "Hey! She's feeling bad enough already, don't make things worse!"

"Why are you defending her? You know it's true!"

"Try being a little more sensitive!"

"I've been trying to help her out as much as you have and I'm the one who's insensitive?!"

Fluttershy spoke out again, "Guys!"

"Enough!" Rainbow exclaimed, "You both messed up!"

"What?!"

"I can't believe you would say that Rainbow!" said Twilight.

"You were the ones bombarding me with all of this history stuff!"

"Well, this pony knows history and can fly. Maybe I should become a Wonderbolt."

"Just 'cause you've got wings, doesn't mean you can fly! You're barely able to just get off the ground!"

Twilight gasped and the two grunted when Fluttershy finally came in between them, shouting louder than she ever did before.

"Guys! Stop! "

Everyone fell into silence, each taking a moment to reflect on what they had said to one another.

"Now, is that any way to talk to a friend?"

The four of them looked at one another with sincere regret. They had all felt so frustrated they didn't even think about what they were saying.

"Sorry." Twilight said.

"Yeah, sorry." Rainbow turned to the humans, "I'm sorry you guys. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's okay. Sorry we blew up like that." Korra said honestly.

Mako hung his head in shame, "Me too. Guess we all got a little frustrated there."

Jinora walked up to the grouped, "Don't you have more important things to do? Like prepare Rainbow for her big test?"

"We've tried everything, Jinora," said Twilight, "but none of our study methods work for her."

Fluttershy smiled, "Well, no offense to your teaching methods, but I think I may have a way to help Rainbow."

(~)

The group sat in front of a wooden stage, decorated with a day and night setting, with Spike sitting in a director's chair, wearing a director's hat, holding a script, while Angel Bunny and Rarity's cat Opal wore a Celestia and Luna wig, respectively.

"Oh, who's that, who's that?" Rainbow asked.

"Celestia and Luna, back when they were happy." said Fluttershy while Opal and Bunny danced with one another.

Mako arched an eyebrow, "You sure this'll help?"

Korra shrugged, "It's worth a shot."

The two animals stopped their dancing and Bunny looked as if he had caused Opal to faint by shouting at her. Owlowisious took Opal up and placed her on a wooden moon prop as more of the pets arrived onto the stage. Applejack's dog had a unicorn horn on her forehead, Rainbow's pet tortoise, who flew on a small helicopter on his back, wore a headband with wings on them, and Spike pushed Pinkie's pet alligator onto the stage.

"Uh… now what?" Rainbow asked, having a difficult time understanding the play.

"Gummy's an Earth pony, Winona's a unicorn, and Tank is a Pegasus."

"They're the E.U.P., helping to protect the Princess." Twilight stated, already tired for having to repeat the information all over again.

"She's mentioned it eleven times already." said Mako, "And I have been counting."

But Rainbow was still a bit lost, "Uh, how are you getting all this?"

The owl took Angel and placed him on the sun prop, behaving all regal. Tank flew around, accidentally colliding with the wooden sun, causing Angel to fall.

"Oh, no!" Fluttershy exclaimed

The owl managed to grab the rabbit in time, but he then collided with the moon, which caused the cat to fall, and the moon to get loose. Spike ran up and caught Opal as the moon landed and rolled down the stage like an Indiana Jones rock ball. Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop, stop, stop! That was aw—"

"Awesome! I give it three woohoo's! Woohoo, woohoo, woohoo! And an extra "woo" for good measure! Woo!"

"Pinkie?" Mako was surprised to see her appear out of nowhere, "When did you….never mind."

"Well, I give it a "whoa, whoa, what?"" said Rainbow, "I'm totally confused and I just wanna go home…" she started to fly away until she was pulled down back to the ground by a yank of the tail from Pinkie Pie. "Whoa– hey!"

"Whoa your woes there, woeful. Some ponies learn through theatrical presentation, but other ponies learn through musical intervention."

Mako covered his ears quickly, "Oh no, not again!"

Pinkie Pie started beatboxing when suddenly the background changed to a strange graffiti painted walls with Bolin, Meelo and Pabu dressed in hooded, baggy pants, headbands, shades and large bling. Meelo was scratching the records while Pinkie Pie, also in a hip-hop getup, beatboxed.

Well, back in ancient times, there were the Wonderbolts of old

A general named Firefly, amazing and so...